Cremonese ended their run of three straight defeats with a surprise 3–1 win away to Bologna, bringing an end to Bologna’s 12-match unbeaten streak in all competitions.
Bologna started brightly. Riccardo Orsolini, their top scorer this season, hit the post with a curling effort after just three minutes. Benjamín Domínguez also tested Emil Audero, while Orsolini fired another chance wide. Despite Bologna’s pressure, Cremonese showed they could threaten when Jamie Vardy forced Federico Ravaglia into an awkward save with his legs.
Bologna failed to learn from that warning. After half an hour, a simple long ball from Matteo Bianchetti went over the entire home defence, allowing Martín Payero to score the opener. Five minutes later, things got worse for the hosts. Vardy beat the offside trap, ran onto Federico Bonazzoli’s pass, and finished into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
Cremonese looked set to reach half-time with a comfortable lead, but in added time Bianchetti handled the ball in the box. Orsolini powered in the penalty despite Audero going the right way, giving Bologna hope for the second half.
However, that hope lasted only five minutes. A diagonal pass found Tommaso Barbieri on the right, and his first-time volley into the box was met by Vardy, who got to the ball before the goalkeeper and tapped in his second of the match. Ravaglia kept Bologna alive shortly after by tipping a clever flick from Payero onto the post.
Bologna pushed hard in the final 20 minutes. Orsolini saw a volley deflected, Federico Baschirotto hit his own crossbar, and Santiago Castro missed two good chances. At the other end, Filippo Terracciano also missed a sitter, but Cremonese held on for their first win over Bologna since 1990 and handed the hosts their first Serie A defeat since September.
