Europa Playoffs: Bologna wins first leg against Brann

Bologna took a goal advantage to the second leg of the UEFA Europa League playoffs after a 1-0 victory away at SK Brann.

Santiago Castro’s goal was enough to secure a slim victory for the Serie A side in Norway.

Both sides had met in November during the league phase, and the tie ended goalless despite the Rossoblu being down to ten men for over an hour after  Charalampos Lykogiannis was sent off.

The Serie A side, which qualified for the tournament via their Coppa Italia victory, will host the Norwegian team in the second leg of the play-off at the Stadio Dall’Ara on February 26.

The visitors scored the only goal of the game in the 9th minute as Federico Bernardeschi intercepted a wayward clearance and Niccolò Cambiaghi’s disguised pass sent Santiago Castro down the left for a precise angled drive.

Referee ignored Ingason’s penalty appealsafter a cross was charged down by Martin Vitik, but his arm was under his body as he went sliding in.

Lukasz Skorupski was called into action with a double save on a corner. The goalie first got a hand to the Urik Mathisen glancing header and then threw himself in the way of a Jon Dagur Thorsteinssen tap-in.

Halftime substitute, Riccardo Orsolini, made an immediate impact, releasing a shot that stung the goalkeeper’s gloves at the near post after a deflected Nikola Moro cross.

He and Cambiaghi tested the Mathias Dyngeland, who charged down Geir’s efforts. The goalie again palmed away another trademark Orsolini curler.

A few minutes later, he got past two defenders to fire just past the far top corner, while Thijs Dallinga’s flick on a Juan Miranda cross looped up, forcing a tricky fingertip save under the crossbar.

With a goal victory here, Bologna will be looking to finish the job in Italy next week.