Sassuolo Steal It 2-1 at Bologna: Doig and Adžić Punish Bologna's Wastefulness

Bologna 1-2 Sassuolo. Write that down. Look at it. Then look at the stats sitting underneath it, because there is a story in that gap between what Bologna produced and what they actually got.

Sixty-four per cent possession. Seventeen shots. Ten shots inside the box. Seven accurate crosses. Bologna did everything except win the football match. That is not a tactical problem. That is an execution problem. That is a mentality problem. You create that much and come away with one goal, you deserve nothing. End of.

Sassuolo Set the Tone Early

Josh Doig scored with a left-foot shot on 19 minutes and that was the moment that defined the whole afternoon. Sassuolo came here knowing they would spend long stretches without the ball. They sat in. They competed. They waited. And when the chance came, they took it.

The thing is, Sassuolo had two major injury absences coming into this match and they still found a way. They defended with discipline and picked their moments. Bologna had 86 attacks to Sassuolo's 47. Bologna had 51 dangerous attacks to Sassuolo's 31. None of that matters when the scoreboard says 1-2.

Roberto Piccoli Equalises but the Moment Is Immediately Wasted

Bologna threw three substitutes on at half-time. That tells you the manager was not happy. Good. He should not have been happy. Roberto Piccoli headed Bologna level on 50 minutes, assisted by Juan Miranda, one of the players who had just come on. For a moment it looked like the changes had worked.

They had not worked.

Within a minute of the equaliser, Emil Holm picked up a yellow card for an argument. Fifty-one minutes. The ball has just gone in to make it 1-1 and one of your players is getting booked for arguing. That is unacceptable. That is the kind of attitude that costs teams matches. You have just got back into the game. Keep your head. Do the basics. Show some accountability.

Then Roberto Piccoli, the man who had just scored, was booked himself for a foul at 53 minutes. Two yellow cards in three minutes on the same side. Sassuolo's Jay Idzes was also booked at 54 minutes for an argument. The match was on a knife edge and players on both sides were losing their composure.

Sassuolo did not lose theirs for long enough to matter. Vasilije Adžić drove a right-foot shot past the Bologna keeper on 56 minutes to make it 2-1, and that was the match done. Six minutes. Bologna equalised, imploded, and conceded. Six minutes.

The Numbers That Tell You Everything

Bologna had two shots on target. Two. With 17 shots in total, that conversion from attempt to on-target effort is poor. Sassuolo had five shots on target from 14 total. They were more clinical. Their goalkeeper made one save all match. Bologna's goalkeeper made three.

Sassuolo won 33 duels to Bologna's 30. In a match where Sassuolo had 36 per cent of the ball, they still competed harder in the physical exchanges. That should embarrass the home side. You have the ball for two thirds of the match and the team with less of it is still winning more duels. There is no excuse for that.

Bologna attempted 30 crosses and only seven were accurate. That is a 23 per cent accuracy rate on crossing. You cannot build an attack on crosses that do not find anyone. The desire to keep putting balls into the box is admirable. The execution was not.

Berardi Off at 38 Minutes

Domenico Berardi went off for Cristian Volpato before half-time, at 38 minutes. The data lists Berardi as carrying a major injury with an expected return date that had already passed before this match. He came off early and Sassuolo still won. That is credit to the squad and credit to the mentality of the group on the day.

Bologna had a player of their own carrying an injury, listed as out until 22 September. Whether that absence affected their options going forward is something only the coaching staff know. What is clear is that the players on the pitch had enough quality to win this match and did not get the job done.

Bologna's Recent Form Tells a Similar Story

In their last five Serie A matches before this one, Bologna won two, drew one, and lost two. They scored zero goals against Atalanta and zero against Lazio in their two most recent outings before today. That is three consecutive Serie A matches now without winning. The goals are drying up. The clean sheets are not coming either, with Bologna keeping a clean sheet in only one of their last five matches in this competition.

Sassuolo came into this with one win from their last five in Serie A. This was a game both teams needed. Sassuolo wanted it more when it counted. That is the only analysis that matters.

What Needs to Change at Bologna

The manager made four substitutions and changed the shape of the team at half-time. Fair enough, the first half had not been good enough. But the reaction to conceding the second goal, the inability to create a clear chance to get back level in the final half hour, that speaks to deeper problems than a half-time team talk can fix.

You cannot have 86 attacks and lose a home match. You cannot have two shots on target at home in Serie A and expect results. The basics were not executed. The desire to finish chances was not there. Accountability starts in the dressing room and it starts with the players who were on that pitch today.