Empoli vs Bologna, 2023-24 Italian Serie A
· Italian Serie ABologna cement top four spot with last-gasp win over Empoli
Bologna's Giovanni Fabbian scored in added time to snatch a 1-0 win at lowly Empoli and consolidate their hold on fourth spot in Serie A on Friday as they battle for a Champions League place.
Match Commentary
- 0': Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
- 0': First Half begins.
- 1': Attempt missed. Jens Odgaard (Bologna) left footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Dan Ndoye.
- 2': Foul by Jens Odgaard (Bologna).
- 2': Razvan Marin (Empoli) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 3': Foul by Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna).
- 3': M'Baye Niang (Empoli) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 4': Attempt blocked. Nicolò Cambiaghi (Empoli) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Elia Caprile.
- 4': Corner, Empoli. Conceded by Jhon Lucumí.
- 4': Foul by Sebastiano Luperto (Empoli).
- 4': Jens Odgaard (Bologna) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 5': Foul by Sebastian Walukiewicz (Empoli).
- 5': Jens Odgaard (Bologna) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 7': Corner, Bologna. Conceded by Giuseppe Pezzella.
- 9': Attempt blocked. Kacper Urbanski (Bologna) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Alexis Saelemaekers.
- 9': Corner, Bologna. Conceded by Szymon Zurkowski.
- 10': Attempt blocked. Sam Beukema (Bologna) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alexis Saelemaekers with a cross.
- 10': Foul by Lewis Ferguson (Bologna).
- 10': M'Baye Niang (Empoli) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 12': Hand ball by Youssef Maleh (Empoli).
- 13': Foul by Szymon Zurkowski (Empoli).
- 13': Kacper Urbanski (Bologna) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 15': Foul by Dan Ndoye (Bologna).
- 15': Giuseppe Pezzella (Empoli) wins a free kick on the left wing.
- 17': Corner, Bologna. Conceded by Sebastian Walukiewicz.
- 18': Attempt saved. Sam Beukema (Bologna) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Alexis Saelemaekers with a cross.
- 18': Attempt saved. Kacper Urbanski (Bologna) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
- 18': Corner, Bologna. Conceded by Elia Caprile.
- 19': Attempt blocked. Kacper Urbanski (Bologna) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alexis Saelemaekers with a cross.
- 19': Attempt saved. Sam Beukema (Bologna) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
- 19': Attempt blocked. Kacper Urbanski (Bologna) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
- 19': Dan Ndoye (Bologna) wins a free kick on the left wing.
- 19': Foul by M'Baye Niang (Empoli).
- 23': Corner, Empoli. Conceded by Lewis Ferguson.
- 24': Emmanuel Gyasi (Empoli) wins a free kick on the right wing.
- 24': Foul by Victor Kristiansen (Bologna).
- 26': Attempt missed. Szymon Zurkowski (Empoli) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by M'Baye Niang.
- 27': Foul by Jens Odgaard (Bologna).
- 27': Sebastian Walukiewicz (Empoli) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 28': Dan Ndoye (Bologna) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 28': Foul by Sebastiano Luperto (Empoli).
- 28': Sebastiano Luperto (Empoli) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
- 30': Dan Ndoye (Bologna) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 30': Foul by Giuseppe Pezzella (Empoli).
- 30': Giuseppe Pezzella (Empoli) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
- 34': Attempt blocked. Jens Odgaard (Bologna) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Kacper Urbanski.
- 35': Foul by Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna).
- 35': M'Baye Niang (Empoli) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 37': Foul by Kacper Urbanski (Bologna).
- 37': Sebastiano Luperto (Empoli) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 39': Attempt saved. Dan Ndoye (Bologna) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Riccardo Calafiori.
- 40': Foul by Remo Freuler (Bologna).
- 40': Szymon Zurkowski (Empoli) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 40': Attempt missed. M'Baye Niang (Empoli) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Razvan Marin with a cross following a set piece situation.
- 43': Corner, Empoli. Conceded by Sam Beukema.
- 44': Attempt missed. Bartosz Bereszynski (Empoli) right footed shot from outside the box is too high following a corner.
- 45': Foul by Szymon Zurkowski (Empoli).
- 45': Kacper Urbanski (Bologna) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 45'+1': First Half ends, Empoli 0, Bologna 0.
- 45': Second Half begins Empoli 0, Bologna 0.
- 45': Substitution, Empoli. Liberato Cacace replaces Giuseppe Pezzella.
- 48': Attempt blocked. Jens Odgaard (Bologna) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Alexis Saelemaekers.
- 48': Attempt blocked. Sebastiano Luperto (Empoli) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by M'Baye Niang with a cross.
- 48': Attempt missed. Razvan Marin (Empoli) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Youssef Maleh.
- 51': Attempt blocked. Nicolò Cambiaghi (Empoli) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Bartosz Bereszynski.
- 51': Corner, Empoli. Conceded by Sam Beukema.
- 51': Corner, Empoli. Conceded by Remo Freuler.
- 53': Attempt missed. M'Baye Niang (Empoli) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Nicolò Cambiaghi with a cross.
- 55': Corner, Empoli. Conceded by Remo Freuler.
- 56': Attempt missed. M'Baye Niang (Empoli) header from very close range is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Razvan Marin with a cross following a corner.
- 57': Substitution, Bologna. Riccardo Orsolini replaces Dan Ndoye.
- 57': Alexis Saelemaekers (Bologna) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 57': Foul by Bartosz Bereszynski (Empoli).
- 57': Foul by Liberato Cacace (Empoli).
- 57': Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 60': Attempt missed. Jens Odgaard (Bologna) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Alexis Saelemaekers with a cross.
- 63': Foul by Kacper Urbanski (Bologna).
- 63': Youssef Maleh (Empoli) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 65': Attempt blocked. Kacper Urbanski (Bologna) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Lewis Ferguson.
- 65': Corner, Bologna. Conceded by Sebastian Walukiewicz.
- 66': Substitution, Empoli. Viktor Kovalenko replaces Szymon Zurkowski.
- 66': Substitution, Empoli. Tyronne Ebuehi replaces Emmanuel Gyasi.
- 66': Foul by Kacper Urbanski (Bologna).
- 66': Youssef Maleh (Empoli) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 67': Attempt saved. M'Baye Niang (Empoli) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Bartosz Bereszynski.
- 69': Foul by Liberato Cacace (Empoli).
- 69': Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna) wins a free kick on the right wing.
- 71': Foul by Sebastian Walukiewicz (Empoli).
- 71': Jens Odgaard (Bologna) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 72': Substitution, Bologna. Santiago Castro replaces Jens Odgaard.
- 72': Substitution, Bologna. Tommaso Corazza replaces Sam Beukema.
- 74': Foul by Liberato Cacace (Empoli).
- 74': Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna) wins a free kick on the right wing.
- 75': Substitution, Empoli. Francesco Caputo replaces M'Baye Niang.
- 75': Substitution, Empoli. Alberto Cerri replaces Nicolò Cambiaghi.
- 76': Offside, Empoli. Francesco Caputo is caught offside.
- 77': Foul by Youssef Maleh (Empoli).
- 77': Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna) wins a free kick on the right wing.
- 78': Corner, Empoli. Conceded by Tommaso Corazza.
- 79': Substitution, Bologna. Giovanni Fabbian replaces Kacper Urbanski.
- 79': Substitution, Bologna. Michel Aebischer replaces Lewis Ferguson.
- 81': Attempt saved. Alexis Saelemaekers (Bologna) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Giovanni Fabbian.
- 81': Corner, Bologna. Conceded by Elia Caprile.
- 83': Attempt saved. Santiago Castro (Bologna) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Alexis Saelemaekers with a through ball.
- 84': Attempt saved. Giovanni Fabbian (Bologna) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Alexis Saelemaekers.
- 85': Foul by Liberato Cacace (Empoli).
- 85': Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna) wins a free kick on the right wing.
- 86': Attempt missed. Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Victor Kristiansen.
- 87': Delay in match because of an injury Tyronne Ebuehi (Empoli).
- 89': Delay over. They are ready to continue.
- 90': Attempt missed. Jhon Lucumí (Bologna) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
- 90'+1': Alexis Saelemaekers (Bologna) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 90'+1': Foul by Viktor Kovalenko (Empoli).
- 90'+1': Tyronne Ebuehi went off injured after Empoli had used all subs.
- 90'+1': Foul by Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna).
- 90'+1': Liberato Cacace (Empoli) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 90'+2': Offside, Empoli. Francesco Caputo is caught offside.
- 90'+3': Foul by Alberto Cerri (Empoli).
- 90'+3': Tommaso Corazza (Bologna) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 90'+4': Attempt saved. Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Victor Kristiansen.
- 90'+4': Goal! Empoli 0, Bologna 1. Giovanni Fabbian (Bologna) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner.
- 90'+5': Foul by Youssef Maleh (Empoli).
- 90'+5': Santiago Castro (Bologna) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 90'+6': Youssef Maleh (Empoli) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
- 90'+7': Foul by Francesco Caputo (Empoli).
- 90'+7': Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 90'+7': Remo Freuler (Bologna) is shown the yellow card.
- 90'+7': Second Half ends, Empoli 0, Bologna 1.
- 0': Match ends, Empoli 0, Bologna 1.
Statistics
 BOL |
EMP |
|
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Fouls | 19 |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Offsides | 2 |
| 6 | Corner Kicks | 7 |
| 1 | Saves | 8 |
| 71.4 | Possession | 28.6 |
| 20 | SHOTS | 10 |
| 9 | ON GOAL | 1 |
| 0.5 | On Target % | 0.1 |
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Penalty Kicks Taken | 0 |
| 612 | Accurate Passes | 184 |
| 683 | Passes | 251 |
| 0.9 | Pass Completion % | 0.7 |
| 6 | Accurate Crosses | 6 |
| 16 | Crosses | 24 |
| 0.4 | Cross % | 0.3 |
| 63 | Long Balls | 52 |
| 43 | Accurate Long Balls | 21 |
| 0.7 | Long Balls % | 0.4 |
| 7 | Blocked Shots | 3 |
| 8 | Effective Tackles | 12 |
| 9 | Tackles | 16 |
| 0.9 | Tackle % | 0.8 |
| 7 | Interceptions | 4 |
| 23 | Effective Clearances | 16 |
| 23 | Clearances | 16 |
Game Information
Competition: Italian Serie A
Venue: Stadio Carlo Castellani – Computer Gross Arena
Location: Empoli, Italy
Attendance: 11,185
Venue: Stadio Carlo Castellani – Computer Gross Arena
Location: Empoli, Italy
Attendance: 11,185
Serie A Standings
| # | TEAM | GP | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Napoli | 9 | +11 | 22 |
| 2 | Internazionale | 8 | +8 | 17 |
| 3 | Juventus | 8 | +10 | 16 |
| 4 | Atalanta | 9 | +10 | 16 |
Line-Ups
Empoli (3-4-2-1)
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 25 | Elia Caprile (GK) |
| 4 | Sebastian Walukiewicz |
| 33 | Sebastiano Luperto  |
| 19 | Bartosz Bereszynski |
| 29 | Youssef Maleh |
| 18 | Razvan Marin |
| 3 | Giuseppe Pezzella |
| 11 | Emmanuel Gyasi |
| 10 | M'Baye Niang |
| 28 | Nicolò Cambiaghi |
| 27 | Szymon Zurkowski |
Bologna (4-3-3)
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 28 | Lukasz Skorupski (GK) |
| 33 | Riccardo Calafiori |
| 26 | Jhon Lucumí |
| 15 | Victor Kristiansen |
| 31 | Sam Beukema |
| 8 | Remo Freuler |
| 82 | Kacper Urbanski |
| 19 | Lewis Ferguson |
| 21 | Jens Odgaard |
| 56 | Alexis Saelemaekers |
| 11 | Dan Ndoye |
Serie A News
Di Lorenzo goal sees leaders Napoli 1-0 win over lowly Lecce
A second-half goal from Giovanni Di Lorenzo was enough to earn Napoli a 1-0 win over struggling Lecce on Saturday, and the home side extended their unbeaten run to eight games to stretch their lead at the top of the Serie A standings.
Inter's Inzaghi talks up Juve's title hopes ahead of Derby d'Italia
Inter Milan strolled to their Serie A title win last season but their manager anticipates a much tighter Scudetto battle this time, with Sunday's opponents Juventus among the hardest opponents, Simone Inzaghi said on Saturday.
Transfer Talk: Man United eye Kvaratskhelia, Buongiorno
Manchester United are reportedly looking to bring in Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Alessandro Buongiorno. Transfer Talk has the latest.
Why Christian Pulisic is currently one of the best attackers in Europe
Ryan O'Hanlon and Herculez Gomez discuss Christian Pulisic's form with AC Milan.
Italy icon Francesco Totti: Serie A teams call me over return
Roma legend Francesco Totti has claimed that Serie A teams are still calling him to see if he would return to professional football, adding that he thinks it would take two to three months of training to return to playing fitness.