First Serie A Victory Secured as Bologna Edge Lecce 2-1
Bologna claimed their first Serie A victory of the season with a 2-1 win over Lecce at the Stadio Via del Mare, lifting Raffaele Palladino’s side out of their winless spell. A spectacular early strike and a late decisive finish proved enough to secure three points despite playing the final minutes with ten men.
Nicolò Cambiaghi set the operational rhythm from the left flank, providing both key deliveries that unlocked Lecce‘s defensive structure across ninety minutes.
Bologna
clubOrsolini Brilliance and Enem Strike Overcome Lecce Equalizer
The visitors opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Nicolò Cambiaghi floated a cross to the back post, where Riccardo Orsolini executed a seven-yard scissor-kick volley past Wladimiro Falcone. Bologna controlled the physical tempo throughout the opening period, though Lecce suffered an early tactical setback when midfielder Ivan Ilić was forced off with an injury after 36 minutes.
Lecce found a path back into the match in the 64th minute following a mistake by Bologna goalkeeper Massimo Pessina. Attempting to claim a Danilo Veiga cross in the air, Pessina misjudged the delivery, allowing Amar Fatah to head into an empty net from 12 yards out to equalize.
Lecce
clubBologna restored their lead in the 75th minute through a swift transition. Orsolini picked out Cambiaghi on the left wing, and his low cross across the face of the goal was flicked in with the outside of the right boot by substitute Jay Enem for his first-ever Serie A goal.
The closing stages forced Bologna into a compact defensive block after Orsolini suffered a muscular injury in the 84th minute. Having already used all five tactical substitution windows, Palladino’s side played out the remaining minutes with ten men, relying on key saves from Pessina to preserve the advantage.
Match Metrics
| Metric | Lecce | Bologna |
|---|---|---|
| Possession % | 57% | 43% |
| Total Shots | 19 | 10 |
| Shots on Target | 5 | 5 |
| Shots Off Target | 8 | 4 |
| Blocked Shots | 6 | 1 |
| Corners | 10 | 3 |
| Fouls | 17 | 8 |
Match Timeline
- 10′, Yellow Card: Ivan Ilić (Lecce)
- 17′, Goal: Riccardo Orsolini, Assist: Nicolò Cambiaghi (Bologna)
- 36′, Substitution: Oumar Ngom replaces Ivan Ilić (Lecce)
- 44′, Yellow Card: Torbjørn Heggem (Bologna)
- 45+2′, Yellow Card: Youssef Maleh (Lecce)
- 55′, Substitution: Eivind Helland replaces Torbjørn Heggem (Bologna)
- 62′, Substitution: Willem Geubbels replaces Paco Esteban (Lecce)
- 62′, Substitution: Konan N’Dri replaces Santiago Pierotti (Lecce)
- 62′, Substitution: Oussama El Azzouzi replaces Tommaso Pobega (Bologna)
- 62′, Substitution: Jay Enem replaces Roberto Piccoli (Bologna)
- 64′, Goal: Amar Fatah, Assist: Danilo Veiga (Lecce)
- 79′, Substitution: Omri Gandelman replaces Youssef Maleh (Lecce)
- 79′, Substitution: Joel Monteiro replaces Amar Fatah (Lecce)
- 81′, Substitution: Federico Bernardeschi replaces Nicolò Cambiaghi (Bologna)
- 81′, Substitution: Rahim Alhassane replaces Juan Miranda (Bologna)
- 90+4′, Yellow Card: Oussama El Azzouzi (Bologna)
Disciplinary Summary
Disciplinary interventions were evenly spaced across the contest, starting with Ivan Ilić receiving an early booking for Lecce in the 10th minute. Torbjørn Heggem picked up a caution for Bologna in the 44th minute, while Youssef Maleh was booked in first-half stoppage time. Oussama El Azzouzi received Bologna’s second yellow card deep into second-half stoppage time in the 94th minute.
Controversial Refereeing Call Early in the Second Half
A central refereeing review occurred directly after halftime when Paco Esteban went down under contact from Bologna goalkeeper Massimo Pessina inside the penalty area. The match referee halted play but awarded a defensive free kick to Bologna instead of a penalty, citing an earlier foul by Esteban on defender Nicolò Casale prior to the goalmouth contact.