The Malta Independent on Sunday
Great comeback from Crotone
Italian football
Simone Verdi made history by scoring two free kicks with different feet, but Crotone completed an improbable comeback to win 3-2 in Bologna.
Roberto Donadoni’s side have now suffered four consecutive defeats and missed Antonio Mirante, Vasilis Torosidis, Cheick Keita and suspended Erick Pulgar, but Rodrigo Palacio returned from injury. The Calabrese club were fresh from a surprise 2-1 victory over Fiorentina, but Marco Tumminello and Oliver Kragl were long-term absentees.
Verdi finally gave Bologna the lead with a trademark free kick curled over the wall with his left foot from just outside the D, as Cordaz never even saw it leave his boot.
However, just as Crotone were rocking, they equalised when Nalini threaded through for Marcello Trotta, whose angled drive was parried into the path of Budimir to tap in from a couple of yards.
Verdi wasn’t done yet and curled in another free kick, this time with his right foot, that Cordaz couldn’t keep out at the near top corner. He became the first player to score a brace of free kicks with different feet in Serie A since 2004-05.
Di Francesco went off after an apparent knee sprain and was replaced for the second half by
Serie A
Yesterday Ladislav Krejci.
Da Costa scrambled across to punch away a Daniel Pavlovic free kick, but the equaliser came from a strange situation. A set play ricocheted around in the box and play was waved on while Bologna went on the counter, as the referee was only able to view the footage via VAR technology once it had gone out of play. Several minutes after the
Serie B
Friday Pescara-Palermo Yesterday incident, he saw that Emil Krafth had clearly slapped the ball away. Trotta stepped up and sent Da Costa the wrong way by converting Crotone’s first penalty of the season.
Moments later, the game had been turned on its head, as Budimir saw his shot charged down just inside the area and blasted the rebound in with his left foot to send Crotone in front.