Bologna came into the game knowing that a win would keep them firmly in the driver's seat of the Serie A top-four race, with the Rossoblu sitting three points clear of fifth-placed Roma prior to kick-off.
And Thiago Motta’s side started the game the better of the two sides, going close after 18 minutes, when Sam Beukema rose highest from a corner to head towards the right side of the goal, only to be denied by a fantastic diving save from Elia Caprile, before the ball fell to Kacper Urbanski, but Caprile recovered well and also managed to save his goalbound effort.
Motta’s men continued to press for an opener, going close just a minute later, yet again through Beukema, as the defender opted to aim for the bottom-left corner of Caprile’s goal only to be denied by the Italian stopper yet again. Urbanski was the first to react once more, as he attempted to turn the rebound home only to be denied by a heroic block by Bartosz Bereszynski.
The longer the game went on, it was clear to see why Empoli had failed to find the back of the net in more matches than any other team in Italy’s top flight (15), with the Azzurri failing to register a shot on target in the opening 65 minutes. However, they were managing to keep Bologna at bay, with the visitors being held at arm's length for the opening stages of the second half.
The away side had a golden opportunity to steal all three points with less than 10 minutes to go when Razvan Marin’s wayward pass allowed Alexis Saelemaekers to bare down on goal but the Belgian attacker was denied by an astonishing save from Caprile as the keeper turned the effort around the post with his foot.
Empoli couldn’t withstand the pressure from Bologna for the remainder of the game though, with the away side finding a winner in the fourth minute of added time, when Riccardo Calafiori’s effort was palmed to Giovanni Fabbian and the substitute placed the ball in the bottom corner to secure victory for Motta’s side.
Davide Nicola’s side continue to struggle having now lost their last three games 1-0, and the Azzurri now sit in 17th place in the Serie A table, one point adrift of the bottom three. Meanwhile, Bologna retain control of fourth place, leading Roma by six points ahead of their home game against Sassuolo.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Elia Caprile (Empoli)
