Serie A: Bologna Stun AC Milan with Late Winner from Dan Ndoye

Bologna came from behind to defeat AC Milan 2-1, with Dan Ndoye scoring the winning goal in a major blow to Milan's top-four hopes.

AC Milan's season is on the brink of collapse after a devastating defeat to Bologna. Rafael Leao's opening goal was cancelled out by a contentious equalizer from Santiago Castro, and Milan's defense was caught off guard as Dan Ndoye scored the winning goal.

The Week 9 fixture had originally been scheduled for October 2024 but was postponed due to flood warnings. With both teams entering the match on 41 points, the stakes were high. However, Milan was without key players Kyle Walker, Emerson Royal, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Alessandro Florenzi, while Bologna missed Emil Holm and Estanis Pedrola following their 2-0 loss to Parma, their first defeat of 2025. Notably, former Milan players Davide Calabria and Tommaso Pobega were named to Bologna's bench.

Bologna come from behind to take all three points! 🔥#BolognaMilan pic.twitter.com/9dFXYADrtZ

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) February 27, 2025

The match got off to a frenetic start, with Santiago Gimenez firing over the bar from a Yunus Musah lay-off just 22 seconds into the game. Moments later, Malick Thiaw narrowly avoided scoring an own goal when he deflected a Benjamin Dominguez pull-back wide. As the half progressed, Musah tested Lukasz Skorupski at the near post, while Dan Ndoye drilled a shot wide on the counter-attack. Both teams struggled to cope with the referee's lenient approach, which included ignoring penalty appeals from Ndoye and Youssouf Fofana.

Benjamin Dominguez showcased his skillful footwork, weaving away from Alex Jimenez to force a challenging save from Mike Maignan at the near post. However, Milan seized the initiative just before halftime. Maignan's long ball forward was expertly flicked on by Santiago Gimenez, and Rafael Leao sprinted through the center, dribbling around Lukasz Skorupski to score into an empty net.

Bologna responded swiftly after the restart, scoring a contentious equalizer. A free kick was knocked down by Lorenzo De Silvestri onto Giovanni Fabbian, and the ricochet fell kindly for Santiago Castro to blast in from six yards. Milan protested, expecting the goal to be disallowed for striking Fabbian's arm, but VAR upheld the decision.

Matchwinner Dan Ndoye is the Panini Player of the Match! 🏆#BolognaMilan pic.twitter.com/xpwrJYgBxz

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) February 27, 2025

The match intensified, with both teams creating scoring opportunities. Yunus Musah embarked on a remarkable run from his own half, beating Joao Miranda with his quick footwork, and forced an excellent save from Skorupski at the near post. Miranda then fired a shot just over the bar from outside the box. Luka Jovic's header was weak and straight at Skorupski, but Bologna squandered a significant chance when Nicolò Casale's header thudded against the near post after a corner, and Nicolò Cambiaghi fired the rebound inches over the bar.

Moments later, Alex Jimenez was caught off guard by a quick throw-in, allowing Nicolò Cambiagchi to turn him and deliver a precise cross from the byline. Dan Ndoyy then stretched to tap in the ball from just four yards out, beating Strahinja Pavlovic to the finish.