Bologna held strong against Napoli to keep the first H2H clean sheet in ten games, as Victor Osimhen, despite putting up a strong display, missed a late penalty for the match to end in a stalemate. Thiago Motta believes his side did a great job, especially in the defensive phase to shut out the Partenopei completely.
Speaking to DAZN (via TuttoBolognaweb), the Rossoblù tactician also pointed out one player, in particular, he felt made the difference.
“One of the great satisfactions I have is seeing the boys work in this way. A great job was done in the defensive phase. The symbol of today’s match is Joshua Zirkzee. He’s a striker, he lives for goals, yes he creates opportunities on his own but works for the team and doesn’t give up if there are no opportunities. He did a fantastic job, you will see that his goals will come soon too, and the team must put him in a better position to be able to score.”
Riccardo Calafiori was adjudged to have handled in the 72nd minute when he touched the ball while going down inside the penalty area. Motta thinks it was a non-existent call.
”We would all like to see the Bologna always play in a very offensive way, but sometimes something else is needed. In the end, we suffered very little and the penalty, despite accepting the decision, is non-existent. Napoli only had one opportunity in the whole match because the penalty doesn’t exist for me, but we respect Giovanny Ayroldi’s decisions.”
Bologna avoided a second defeat this season and a ninth time in ten home league matches as a consolation. Meanwhile, the Scudetto title holders succumb to a third successive winless league game, failing to build upon their UEFA Champions League win against Braga.
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