The rain consumed the night sky in Bologna, but the Rossoblu party could not be watered down. Bologna welcomed Shakhtar Donetsk to the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara with wild noise coming from the home fans.
Things got even louder when Georgiy Sudakov had his penalty saved by Bologna keeper Lukasz Skorupski after just four minutes. The crowd roared as the Ukrainian failed to convert and Bologna began to apply some pressure themselves.
Shakhtar had most of the ball for the first half an hour. The visitors linked up well between the lines and pulled Bologna players out of position like the home side seemed to do so successfully under Thiago Motta last season, but neither team seemed like making a clinical breakthrough.
Then came Bologna’s third corner of the game, and the ball broke kindly for their Colombian defender Jhon Lucumí, but he couldn’t convert. Eight minutes of stoppage time were added at the end of the first half due to two Shakhtar injuries but the teams would finish the first half with the score at 0-0.
In the second half the hosts got a foothold in the game and looked more likely. Bologna held onto possession well and made effective substitutes in attacking areas. Shakhtar dropped towards their own goal more and more as the game went on, and the home crowd tried to will in a late winner.
In the end, a damp night was met with electric energy from the stands, but a lack of quality on the pitch. Both sides looking competent, but not exactly threatening. They both seem to be lacking a spark that might see them really take on the big boys in this tournament.
Joseph O’Sullivan, reporting from Bologna I GIFN
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