Serie A: Juventus 2-2 Bologna - Late Goals Secure Draw

Dusan Vlahovic and Samuel Mbangula inspire Juventus' late comeback, securing a vital point against Bologna.

In a stunning turn of events, Samuel Mbangula and Teun Koopmeiners scored in stoppage time to salvage a draw for Juventus against Bologna. The Bianconeri had trailed 2-0 at home, but the late goals secured a 2-2 tie, marking their ninth stalemate in the last 13 rounds.

Juventus continued to grapple with an injury crisis, missing key players Weston McKennie, Nico Gonzalez, Douglas Luiz, Arek Milik, Gleison Bremer, and Juan Cabal. However, the team welcomed back Dusan Vlahovic, Nicolò Savona, and Vasilije Adzic from injury. Meanwhile, Bologna had been in good form, winning four of their last five league matches. They also regained the services of Tommaso Pobega, who had completed his suspension. Nevertheless, the Rossoblu were without Riccardo Orsolini, Michel Aebischer, Charalampos Lykogiannis, Oussama El Azzouzi, and Nicolò Cambiaghi due to injury.

The match got off to a dramatic start when Andrea Cambiaso suffered an injury in the opening minutes. Cambiaso had attempted to block a strike from Dan Ndoye, but the ball struck his ankle, causing it to bend awkwardly and forcing him off the field.

Ndoye continued to pose a threat, coming agonizingly close to scoring moments later. He unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the area, which thundered off the base of the upright. The opportunity had arisen when Santiago Castro, with his back to goal, had knocked down a cross from Juan Miranda. Bologna's aggressive approach continued to cause problems for Juventus, and Miranda's free kick was deflected onto the roof of the net by Tim Weah.

Pierre Kalulu took a significant risk on 26 minutes, catching Jens Odgaard's heels as the Bologna player chased a long ball just outside the penalty area. The referee opted to wave play on, and upon VAR review, the decision was confirmed. The reason for this was that Odgaard did not have control of the ball at the time of the incident, as Mattia Perin had rushed out to challenge for the ball.

Bologna soon capitalized on their momentum, taking the lead through a well-crafted goal. Emil Holm delivered a precise slide-rule pass, finding Dan Ndoye, who then unleashed a ferocious right-footed finish. The ball smashed into the roof of the net at the near post, catching Mattia Perin off guard. Perin had anticipated Ndoye to aim for the far post, but the Bologna player's decision to go near post proved to be the correct one.

Nicolò Fagioli squandered a promising opportunity, blasting the ball over the crossbar from 14 yards out after Francisco Conceicao had delivered a precise pull-back. Conceicao continued to threaten, unleashing a curling shot that was bravely charged down by Jhon Lucumi.

Dusan Vlahovic had a pair of chances to score, but was unable to capitalize on either occasion. First, he controlled a pass from Teun Koopmeiners well, only to hesitate on the finish, allowing the Bologna defense to close him down. Later, in first-half stoppage time, Vlahovic met another Koopmeiners assist with a powerful volley, but Lukasz Skorupski was equal to the task, parrying the shot at the near post.

The second half began on a sour note for Juventus, as Bologna manager Thiago Motta was shown a straight red card for dissent. This disciplinary action added to the Bianconeri's woes, but it was Bologna who capitalized on the momentum.

Moments after Motta's dismissal, Bologna doubled their advantage with a beautifully crafted goal. Santiago Castro's sublime back-heel flick expertly nutmegged Federico Gatti, releasing Tommaso Pobega clear on goal. Pobega then showcased his skill with a delightful, dinked finish that beat Mattia Perin.

Juventus managed to get back into the game, courtesy of Teun Koopmeiners' first goal for the club. The Dutch international found himself on the receiving end of a well-executed move, which began with Francisco Conceicao sending Danilo down the right flank. Danilo then pulled the ball back from the by-line, providing Koopmeiners with the opportunity to fire into the roof of the net from 12 yards out.

On 82 minutes, Samuel Mbangula went down in the penalty area, but it was clear that he had gone to ground easily, failing to stay on his feet as Emil Holm challenged him from behind. The referee was unimpressed, and no penalty was awarded.

However, Mbangula redeemed himself in stoppage time with a stunning equalizing goal. Dusan Vlahovic found Mbangula on the edge of the box, and he took a touch before unleashing a wonderful curled right-footed shot into the far top corner. The goal sparked a dramatic turnaround for Juventus, and it set the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the match.