Serie A: Juventus See Off 10-Man Bologna to Close on Milan, Napoli

Juve capitalise on Rivals’ slip-ups with win vs Bologna, go within three of second

Juventus beat Bologna 2-0 with Jonathan David and Khephren Thuram goals to go five points clear in fourth, three behind Milan and Napoli.

David scored after 110 seconds and Thuram headed a second as Juventus beat 10-man Bologna 2-0 following an Alex Manninger tribute...

Juventus beat Bologna with goals from Jonathan David and Khephren Thuram to open a five-point gap in fourth and move within three points of joint-second Milan and Napoli.

The Bianconeri looked to capitalise as Napoli, Como and Roma all dropped points this weekend. Kenan Yildiz was only fit for the bench, while Arek Milik, Dusan Vlahovic, Juan Cabal, Mattia Perin and Vasilije Adzic were out injured. Weston McKennie returned from suspension, and Emil Holm and Joao Mario faced their parent clubs after January loans. Bologna aimed to bounce back from Thursday’s 4-0 Europa League quarter-final loss to Aston Villa, but were without Lukasz Skorupski, Thijs Dallinga, Nicolò Casale and Benjamin Dominguez.

There was a moving pre-match tribute for Alex Manninger, the former Juventus and Bologna goalkeeper who died in a car accident this week aged 48. Ex-teammates Gigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio and Antonio Chimenti laid flowers and his shirt in the goal as fans sang his chant.

The hosts started lightning fast. Jeremie Boga’s cutback won a corner, and inside 110 seconds David met Pierre Kalulu’s cross six yards out, glancing a header into the far bottom corner. It was all the more remarkable as Bologna hadn’t conceded in the first half of a Serie A game for two months.

 

Francisco Conceicao had the ball in the net on 12 minutes after latching onto a ball over the top, but he was offside before his precise angled finish.

 

Juve pick up an important win! ⚪⚫#JuveBologna pic.twitter.com/EN1F2VOwd1

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) April 19, 2026

Tommaso Pobega drilled wide from range, while Federico Ravaglia had to make himself big for a huge one-on-one save when Conceicao did beat the offside trap.

Emil Holm almost scored a stunner against his former club. A clearance bounced on the edge of the box and his powerful volley crashed off the underside of the bar.

After the restart, Riccardo Orsolini had Bologna’s first real chance, his strike from the right flashing across the face of goal and inches wide.

  

But Juve substitute Khephren Thuram made an instant impact, rising at the back post to head in Weston McKennie’s cross from the right for 2-0.

Bologna almost pulled one back when Nadir Zortea rolled the ball across the face of goal, but substitute Jonathan Rowe could only slide in at the back post and hit the upright from point-blank range.

Jonathan David is the Panini Player of the Match 🏆⚽#JuveBologna pic.twitter.com/jQuaiLgrZI

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) April 19, 2026

Nikola Moro fired over after Orsolini’s effort was blocked, but Federico Bernardeschi limped off with a thigh issue just eight minutes after coming on. With their substitutions used, Bologna played the final six minutes with 10 men.

  

Despite being a man down, Rowe still broke away on the counter but his cross was just behind an unmarked Orsolini.