Bologna beats Salernitana to inch closer to Champions League

Bologna beat lowly Salernitana 3-0 in Serie A on Monday and took another step towards Champions League football.

The eighth win in nine games for Thiago Motta's side pushed it to within two points of third-placed Juventus. A fourth-place finish would ensure Bologna of Champions League football for the first time.

Riccardo Orsolini opened the scoring after 14 minutes with a tremendous left-foot shot from outside the box and Alexis Saelemaekers doubled Bologna's lead a minute from halftime.

Left-back Charalampos Lykogiannis completed the scoring in stoppage time after working a neat one-two with Saelemaekers.

The result marked an unhappy debut for Salernitana coach Stefano Colantuono, the club's fourth coach this season.

Salernitana looks doomed to spend next season in the second tier. With eight games remaining, it is 11 points from safety.

Salernitana plays Sassuolo next Friday in a relegation six-point game made all the more urgent after Sassuolo surrendered a lead at home to Udinese.

Grégoire Defrel opened the scoring for the home four minutes before halftime following a defence-splitting pass from Matheus Henrique.

However, Florian Thauvin equalized from close range three minutes later.

The result will satisfy neither side as the search for points becomes more desperate.

Sassuolo remained second from bottom on the table, and although Udinese was five places above it, only four points separated them in a congested battle to avoid the drop.

CAGLIARI DRAWS WITH VERONA ******************************* Two other teams in the fight, Cagliari and Verona, started the day tied on points and they ended the day still tied after drawing 1-1.

Verona took the lead after half an hour through Federico Bonazzoli. Goalkeeper Simone Scuffet got a hand to Bonazzoli's flick with the outside of his boot but could not stop the ball from going in.

Verona substitute Darko Lazovic came close to doubling the visitor's lead, but it was Ibrahima Sulemana who hit the net at the other end. The Ghanaian midfielder scored with 16 minutes remaining to give Cagliari a share of the spoils.

Verona was in 16th place, above Cagliari on goal difference.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)