Fergie time to shine
LEWIS FERGUSON bagged a superb goal as Bologna beat Atalanta 2-1 to give them a four-point cushion in the race for Champions League football.
The former Aberdeen midfielder is already the highest scoring Scot in Serie A history but claimed his 13th goal in the Italian top flight to complete a dramatic turnaround.
Bologna fell behind to an Ademola Lookman goal in 28 minutes before getting back on level terms through a penalty from top scorer Joshua Zirkzee 13 minutes after the restart.
And just four minutes later, Ferguson netted what turned out to be the winner, volleying home a fine rightfoot volley from the edge of the box to move Thiago Motta’s men four points clear of Roma in fourth.
Elsewhere in Italy, fellow Scot Josh Doig’s tough start to life at Sassuolo continued with a 1-0 loss to his former club Hellas Verona.
That keeps his new team in the relegation zone.
Former Hibs star Doig joined Sassuolo last month and despite playing 90 minutes in six of his seven appearances, his side have only picked up one point.
Sassuolo looked set to claim a share of the spoils until the 79th minute when Polish star Karol Swiderski scored to move Verona three points clear of their fellow relegation battlers.
Over in the Bundesliga, leaders Bayer Leverkusen beat 10-man Cologne 2-0 to stay 10 points ahead of Bayern Munich.
Jan Thielmann was sent off and ex-Celt Jeremie Frimpong scored, along with Alex Grimaldo.
In Spain, third-placed Barcelona were held to a goalless draw by Athletic Bilbao. Second-placed Girona lost 1-0 to Mallorca, with leaders Real Madrid still seven points clear.