Serie A: Bologna Ends Fiorentina’s Winning Streak

Fiorentina’s eight-game winning streak came to an end as they suffered their first loss since mid-September, falling 1-0 to Bologna on Sunday in the 26th round of Serie A.

In the absence of their coach Raffaele Palladino, who was grieving the loss of his mother Rosa earlier that day, Fiorentina fell to their former manager Vincenzo Italiano’s team. It marked their first defeat since a 3-2 loss to Atalanta on September 15 and only their second defeat of the season.

Failing to surpass their 1960 record of eight consecutive wins, Fiorentina remained on 31 points, temporarily in fourth place on goal difference behind reigning champions Inter Milan and ahead of Lazio. Lazio and Inter face off Monday at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Fiorentina still has a postponed match against Inter due to player Eduardo Bovè’s cardiac incident; Bovè has since been discharged and visited his teammates in training.

Bologna, who finished fifth last season under current Juventus coach Thiago Motta, improved to 25 points and moved to seventh place temporarily, pending Milan’s match against Genoa later Sunday.

After a lackluster first half with limited chances, including a close header from Fiorentina’s Moise Kean (44) saved by Polish goalkeeper Łukasz Skorupski, Bologna opened the second half strongly. Argentine Santiago Castro hit the post in the 46th minute, setting the stage for Danish player Jens Odgaard’s decisive 59th-minute goal from an Argentine Benjamin Domínguez cross. Swiss player Remo Freuler missed his chance to finish, allowing Odgaard to capitalize and score.

Elsewhere, Verona ended a four-game losing streak with their second away win of the season, defeating Parma 3-2 to reach 15 points, level with their hosts but behind on goal difference. Lecce, meanwhile, distanced themselves from the relegation zone, climbing to 16 points with a 2-1 home victory over 19th-placed Monza.