In what is certainly going to be one of the most eventful matches in Serie A this season, Milan emerge 4-2 winners after playing for over 30 minutes with a two-man advantage. The Rossoneri failed to emerge mentally from the half-time interval as Pioli’s side conceded twice inside 10 minutes to 10-man Bologna - who made their lives even more difficult after Soriano was justly sent off for a stamp on Toure before the hour. The visitors toiled and looked unable to overcome their opponents despite the numerical superiority until a wonderfully hit volley from Bennacer gave Milan the three points. A late, late Ibrahimovic strike gave his side a flattering scoreline, as it was not as straightforward as 4-2 may suggest. The win puts Pioli’s side top of the table, while Bologna drop into ninth.
The tough tests continue for Bologna, who travel to face Napoli on Thursday. Milan are in action again on Wednesday when they host Torino.
That concludes our commentary of the Serie A fixture between Bologna and Milan! We hope you’ve enjoyed it!
Cronaca
Formazioni
Statistiche
90'+4'
FULL-TIME: BOLOGNA 2-4 MILAN. 22:39
90'+2'
The fourth official indicates four minutes will be added to the end of the 90 for stoppages. 22:37
90'
Bennacer adds an assist to his goal as the midfielder once again shows his quality with a well-weighted pass. 22:37
90'
IBRAHIMOVIC MAKES IT FOUR! Bennacer charges into space in midfield and finds the veteran striker on the edge of the penalty area. The Sweden international takes a touch to set himself and curls a wonderful strike into the far corner - putting it just out of reach! 4-2!
Medel is taken off by Mihajlovic, who puts Orsolini on in search of an unlikely equaliser. 22:34
85'
Milan make a switch immediately after taking the lead as Toure is replaced by Kalulu. 22:30
84'
BENNACER’S SWEET STRIKE PUTS MILAN BACK ON TOP! 3-2! Absolutely no chance for Skorupski, as Bakayoko’s cross is only half-cleared by Svanberg. The ball is put high up in the air towards Bennacer at the edge of the penalty area, who hits a first-time volley into the bottom left corner!
Arnautovic will not see out the remainder of the match as Santander is sent on for the last seven minutes. 22:28
82'
Arnautovic goes down holding the inside of his leg, which prompts the referee to blow his whistle to halt the match. He’s been operating as a left wing-back for the entirety of the second half, foiling a number of Milan moves.22:28
80'
It’s attack against defence as we enter the final 10 minutes, with Bologna clinging on to a point. The Rossoneri are trying everything to beat Skorupski, who has made some great stops in the second half.22:25
78'
Arnautovic gets in behind the Milan defence after a lovely pass from Svanberg, but Tatarusanu races off his line and blocks the shot out for a corner.22:34
77'
WHAT A SAVE! Bennacer’s fantastic cross to the far post is met by a powerful Giroud header - which is met by an incredibly quick Skorupski reaction save.22:21
75'
Bennacer takes a Milan corner short and quick to Toure, whose eventual cross is poor and cleared away easily.22:20
73'
Milan continue to labour even against nine men as the attack appears disjointed and uninspired. Bologna are unable to hold possession for large stretches of time but they’re also not being put under enough pressure by the Milan attack - allowing them to get back into shape.22:19
71'
Ibrahimovic has scored five Serie A goals for AC Milan against Bologna: for the Rossoneri he has scored more league goals only against Cagliari, Inter and AS Roma (six)22:16
69'
Bologna are packing all nine men within a short distance from their goal as they look to weather the storm and escape with a point. Milan will need a bit of ingenuity if they’re going to break down Mihajlovic’s extremely low block.22:33
67'
The referee produces another yellow card - this time it’s for Saelemaekers, who gave Svanberg a push in the back.22:12
65'
Giroud attempts a spectacular overhead kick at the end of Calabria's delivery but the referee blows his whistle after deeming it a high boot. 22:10
63'
It's a triple substitution as Schouten is also sent into the fray, relieving Dominguez. 22:09
63'
A defender comes on for a striker as Binks replaces Barrow.22:09
63'
Bologna reshuffle the side with less than 30 minutes remaining, as Hickey is replaced by Dijks.22:09
61'
Calabria is shown a yellow card for a hard foul on Dominguez. 22:06
60'
Krunic is taken off as Pioli instructs Giroud to play alongside Ibrahimovic. 22:05
58'
IT’S A SECOND RED CARD FOR BOLOGNA! SORIANO IS SENT OFF! Toure was down in considerable pain after the tackle from the captain, who appears to have caught the left leg of the left-back with his studs. The referee takes a quick look at the VAR screen and has no doubts that it’s a stamp as he awards Milan a free-kick and sends off a second Bologna player!22:05
56'
Toure is down in a lot of pain after a coming-together with Soriano on the byline. He looks to be in serious agony as they work on the outside of his left leg.22:03
54'
Bologna's Barrow has been involved in six goals in his last four Serie A games (four goals, two assists), after having only assisted one goal in the previous 10 (no goals) – he has found the net in each of these matches, and he could score in four in a row for the first time since 2020 (his personal best run).22:01
52'
The captain makes a contribution with an assist for Barrow - who finds the equaliser. 21:59
52'
BOLOGNA FIND THE EQUALISER! 2-2! INCREDIBLE! Arnautovic turns Toure and fires a pass down the flank for Soriano. The captain latches onto it and delivers a great ball to Barrow, who beats Tatarusanu from inside the 18-yard box!
BOLOGNA HAVE A LIFELINE! 2-1! Barrow gets another chance at a corner and takes it with aplomb - whipping the set-piece into the near post. It takes a touch off an unwitting Ibrahimovic and ends up in the back of the net! It’ll go down as an own goal for the Milan striker.
Barrow whips a Bologna corner into the six-yard box but it's simple catching practice for Tatarusanu. 21:53
46'
Bologna get the match restarted from the kick-off!21:52
46'
A straight swap in midfield sees Bakayoko sent on for Tonali.21:52
46'
Milan make a change on the right wing at half-time, with Saelemaekers replacing Castillejo.21:52
With a dominant lead both on the scoreboard and on the pitch - perhaps Pioli will look to rest some key players in the second half. Ibrahimovic is sure to be withdrawn after roughly an hour, with veteran Giroud likely to replace him. Maldini and Kalulu will also likely see time as Milan have another match in three days' time. Bologna have little other option but to attack if they wish to try and get anything from the match, with Orsolini and Sansone the most obvious choices to be introduced in the second half. 21:33
The first half comes to a close at the Renato Dall’Ara with the visitors in a commanding 2-0 lead. Leao’s deflected finish a quarter of an hour into the match was only the beginning of Bologna’s troubles, as they would go down to 10 men just four minutes later after Soumaoro’s clumsy last-man defending brought down Krunic. Calabria would double the lead 10 minutes from time to compound Mihajlovic’s misery and give the hosts a real mountain to climb in the second 45.21:33
45'+2'
HALF-TIME: BOLOGNA 0-2 MILAN.21:33
45'+1'
Tonali is booked for whacking Arnautovic in the face with a trailing arm during a race to the ball. 21:33
45'
The fourth official indicates one minute will be added to the end of the half for stoppages. 21:32
43'
Dominguez looks to play a ball over the top of the defence but Tomori manages to get just enough on it to put it out for a throw-in.21:30
41'
De Silvestri is unable to keep the ball in play after a switch to the far post as a poor touch lets the winger down. It's a goal-kick for Milan, who will look to run out the clock until half-time. 21:30
39'
Bologna have not won at home against Milan in Serie A since 2001/02 (D4 L11): since then, the Rossoblu have only suffered more home losses against Inter (12) than against the Rossoneri (11).21:26
37'
It’s been an impressive first half for the visitors, who will jump to the top of the table should the result hold. Milan appeared to be the better side even before the sending off, which only extended their superiority.21:24
35'
MILAN DOUBLE THEIR ADVANTAGE! Toure's cross from the left is palmed to Castillejo at the far post by a backtracking Skorupski. The winger centres a pass for Calabria, who runs onto the loose ball and hammers a strike that goes off of the leg of Dominguez and in! 2-0!
Tatarusanu comes off his line and gets to the ball before Arnautovic, sending the striker flying high up into the air. The Austria international is convinced he should have received a penalty and berates the referee - for which he's shown a yellow card. 21:22
32'
A rare Bologna attack is called to a halt by the referee after Arnautovic clatters into Calabria following the right-back’s half-clearance. The Austria international is less than impressed but it’s a free-kick for the visitors.21:19
30'
Leao cuts inside and looks to play a one-two pass with Tonali on the edge of the 18-yard box, but it’s intercepted and whacked forward for Barrow.21:18
28'
Castillejo puts a left-footed cross into the penalty area for Toure, who manages to knock the ball across the face of goal with his head. The pass evades the jump of Leao but falls to Ibrahimovic - who is unable to beat the goalkeeper from close range.21:14
26'
Calabria teases a ball to the back post for Ibrahimovic, who gets a head to the ball but the linesman’s flag goes up immediately for offside.21:12
24'
Ibrahimovic drives the ensuing free-kick low into the wall before it’s hacked away by a defender.21:10
22'
Things go from bad to worse for Bologna, who go down to 10 men just four minutes after conceding the opening goal.21:09
20'
RED CARD FOR SOUMAORO! Kjaer hits a ball over the top of the defence for Krunic, who gets to the pass ahead of Soumaoro. There’s a tangling of legs 20 yards from goal and the defender is deemed to have stopped a goal-scoring opportunity, for which he’s sent off!21:09
18'
Bologna have only gained one point from their last 11 games against Milan in Serie A: the Rossoblu only have a longer ongoing streak of games without a win against Fiorentina (14) and Juventus (18).21:07
16'
LEAO FINDS THE BACK OF THE NET! 1-0 MILAN! The Portugal international gets on the end of Ibrahimovic’s incisive pass - beating Medel for pace before turning a shot towards goal from an acute angle. The effort takes a deflection off the foot of the defender before wrong-footing the goalkeeper - giving Milan the lead!
Ibrahimovic's quality shines through with a perfectly weighted pass which is the assist for Leao. 21:05
14'
Svanberg’s corner finds Arnautovic at the far post, but the Austria international is unable to put his close-range effort on target.21:00
13'
Castillejo bundles into Hickey on the near touchline and gives away a free-kick. Barrow takes the set-piece but can only find Calabria, who turns it behind for a corner.20:59
11'
Tonali takes the set-piece and puts it in the six-yard box, but Hickey manages to get to it first to head the danger away. 21:20
9'
Ibrahimovic wins a free-kick from Soumaoro, who steps on the heel of the Milan striker in pursuit of possession. In a good crossing position, Tonali and Bennacer stand over the dead ball.21:20
7'
Hickey takes a strike from distance with his weaker right foot, forcing Tatarusanu into an uncomfortable diving save.20:53
5'
Barrow curls a fantastic delivery to the far post, but nobody is able to get on the end of Arnautovic’s knock-down - allowing Castillejo to clear the danger.20:52
3'
Leao looks to slip a pass into the penalty area for Toure, but the left-back holds his run which puts the ball out for a goal kick.21:19
1'
Milan get the match under way from the kick-off!21:00
Milan make six changes from their narrow 3-2 victory over Hellas Verona last weekend. Kjaer returns to replace Romagnoli in defence, while an injury to Kessie sees Tonali partner Bennacer in midfield. The attack has been completely retooled as Castillejo, Krunic and Leao replace Saelemaekers, Maldini and Ante Rebic and Giroud is dropped for Ibrahimovic. 20:34
Bologna make just one change from the XI that earned a 1-1 draw with Udinese last weekend, with Medel replacing Binks in the heart of the defence.20:34
MILAN SUBS: Alessio Romagnoli, Andreas Jungdal, Olivier Giroud, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Andrea Conti, Alexis Saelemaekers, Matteo Gabbia, Pierre Kalulu, Antonio Mirante, Daniel Maldini. 20:31
MILAN XI (4-2-3-1): Ciprian Tatarusanu; Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer, Fikayo Tomori, Fode Ballo-Toure; Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer; Samu Castillejo, Rade Krunic, Rafael Leao; Zlatan Ibrahimovic.20:31
BOLOGNA SUBS: Luis Binks, Andreas Skov Olsen, Marco Molla, Riccardo Orsolini, Federico Santander, Jerdy Schouten, Ibrahima Mbaye, Nicola Sansone, Francesco Bardi, Emanuel Vignato, Sydney van Hooijdonk, Mitchell Dijks.20:31
BOLOGNA XI (3-4-2-1): Lukasz Skorupski; Arthur Theate, Gary Medel, Adama Soumaoro; Aaron Hickey, Mattias Svanberg, Nicolas Dominguez, Lorenzo De Silvestri; Musa Barrow, Roberto Soriano; Marko Arnautovic.20:31
With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, let’s take a look at how the two sides are lining up - starting with the hosts!20:31
Milan are looking to make it nine without defeat to start the season and could go top of the table should they secure the three points - ahead of Napoli’s match tomorrow. A loss to Porto on Tuesday made it three on the bounce in the Champions League, though Milan were without a number of key first-team options including Ante Rebic, Brahim Diaz, Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez; all of whom are out tonight as well. 20:17
Former Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic welcomes his old club to the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, with Bologna looking for a win that would take them up to fourth place. The Rossoblu followed up an impressive 3-0 win over Lazio with a draw at Udinese last weekend in a match that saw an astounding 10 yellow cards.20:16
Hello and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the Serie A fixture between Bologna and Milan. 20:15
Bologna - Milan is a match of 9 day of the season Serie A 2021/2022. The match will be 23 october at 18:00 in the stadium Renato Dall'Ara in Bologna. Referee of Bologna - Milan will be Paolo Valeri with the help of Filippo Bercigli e Alessio Berti. At VAR there will be Daniele Chiffi.
Currently Bologna is 9° in the standings with 12 points (thanks of 3 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats); while Milan is 1° in the standings with 25 points (thanks of 8 wins, 1 pareggio and 0 sconfitte). Bologna scored 15 goals and conceded 19; Milan scored 22 goals and conceded 9.
At home Bologna scored 10 points (3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss). Away Milan scored 10 points (3 wins, 1 draw and 0 losses). Bologna in the last three matches of the season challenged Lazio, Udinese and Mil obtaining 4 points thanks to 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss. Milan in the last three matches of the season challenged Spezia, Atalanta and Vero obtaining 9 points thanks to 3 wins, 0 draws and 0 losses. In the last match Bologna was against Milan losing 2-4 while Milan was against Verona winning 3-2. The best scorer of the team coached by Sinisa Mihajlovic is Musa Barrow with 4 goals while the best scorer of the team coached by Stefano Pioli is Rafael Leão with 4 goals.
Bologna and Milan competed 146 times in the league. In the previous matches Bologna won 38 times, Milan won 70 times while the number of draw was 38.
These are the statistics of the two teams in the matches played in the season:
Where to see Bologna-Milan You can see the live match Bologna-Milan here on Virgilio Sport starting 18:00 CET of 23 october. Discover who will broadcast live Bologna - Milan between Sky and Dazn.
