Serie A: Venezia Suffer Heavy Defeat as Bologna's Ndoye Scores Twice

Dan Ndoye scored his first-ever Serie A brace as Bologna cruised to a convincing win over struggling Venezia, who suffered their fourth consecutive defeat.

Dan Ndoye ended his goal drought in style, scoring a career-first Serie A brace, which, combined with Riccardo Orsolini's penalty, propelled Bologna to a convincing win and deepened the crisis at Venezia.

Bologna had been riding a wave of good form, having secured three consecutive Serie A victories, but their momentum was halted by a 3-0 defeat to Lazio last week, a match in which they were reduced to 10 men. Tommaso Pobega, the player sent off in that match, was serving a suspension in this encounter. Additionally, Bologna had suffered a midweek defeat to Lille in the Champions League, despite the notable achievement of scoring their first goal in the tournament.

Venezia, meanwhile, was reeling from three consecutive defeats and had been dealt a further blow with the news that Francesco Zampano had undergone surgery to repair a fractured hand, leaving the team to face Bologna without one of their key players.

The match sparked to life as Remo Freuler unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the area, forcing Filip Stankovic into a save. Dan Ndoye then delivered a low, inviting cross that flashed across the face of goal, but unfortunately, no teammate was able to capitalize on the opportunity. Jens Odgaard, however, should have done better when he volleyed over the bar from 12 yards out, following a precise Juan Miranda cross.

Ndoye's pace and agility soon proved to be a decisive factor, as he burst down the right flank, only to be clumsily brought down by Ridgeciano Haps. The resulting penalty was coolly converted by Remo Freuler, who sent Stankovic the wrong way to score his first goal of the season and only his second in Serie A.

Venezia had a golden opportunity to equalize within four minutes, but Hans Nicolussi Caviglia squandered the chance, ballooning his shot high and wide from the edge of the area. Gaetano Oristanio had done well to ride two tackles and create the opening, but Nicolussi Caviglia's wayward finish let Bologna off the hook. Juan Miranda and Jens Odgaard also had attempts from distance, but neither could find the target.

The second half got off to a worrying start for Bologna, as Lorenzo De Silvestri was forced to hobble off after Oristanio accidentally trod on his Achilles tendon. Despite this setback, Bologna continued to push for a second goal, but they wasted a huge opportunity when Jesper Karlsson was sent clear through the middle by Odgaard. However, Karlsson's finish was weak and scuffed, allowing Filip Stankovic to make a comfortable save.

Jens Odgaard had two gilt-edged opportunities to extend Bologna's lead, but he failed to capitalize on both occasions. The first chance saw him sting the goalkeeper's gloves, while the second, which came courtesy of a beautifully weighted ball over the top from Riccardo Orsolini, should have been converted with ease. However, Odgaard's profligacy was soon forgotten as the referee awarded Bologna another penalty following a VAR review.

The penalty was coolly converted by Orsolini, who sent the goalkeeper the wrong way. Moments later, Orsolini turned provider, delivering a low, inviting cross from the right flank. Dan Ndoye, who had already opened the scoring, was on hand to flick the ball into the net from six yards, securing his first-ever Serie A brace. Venezia's woes continued to mount as substitute John Yeboah was forced off with an injury, while Lukasz Skorupski produced a spectacular flying save to deny Joel Pohjanpalo's volley.