Stefano Pioli's side controlled much of the game, and after coming from a goal down to lead with five minutes remaining, they should've seen the match out. Rolando Bianchi, though, had other ideas. His goal means this game does pretty much nothing to the league table, with Bologna staying a point and a couple of places ahead of Torino.
Bologna vs. Torino, final score 2-2: Bianchi salvages stoppage time point
In the third and final minute of stoppage time, Torino’s Rolando Bianchi salvaged a point at the Renato Dall’Ara, with Bologna left kicking themselves.
Unsurprisingly it was Bologna who were willing to play the more expansive football in the opening few minutes, though equally predictable was Torino's defensive discipline. The hosts controlled the ball early on with Alessandro Diamanti having a couple of attempts on goal, though he couldn't cause Jean-François Gillet any great problems.
When Torino did have their counter-attacking chances, their key attacker Alessio Cerci was usually the instigator -- though their opening goal came off the opposite flank. Mario Santana's effort was flapped at by Gianluca Curci, whose hand ballooned the ball right into the path of Paulo Barreto, who gratefully accepted the goalkeeper's gift and bundled the ball into the net.
Bologna thought they'd equalised on the stroke of half-time, when Panagiotis Kone found the back of the net. But, they were thwarted by referee Andrea De Marco, who adjudged that Alberto Gilardino had fouled defender Angelo Ogbonna, leaving Gila looking even more upset than he usually does.
Whether the result of a rousing Stefano Pioli team talk or otherwise, Bologna made a bright start to the second half. Saphir Taïder drilled a shot narrowly over the bar from the edge of the area, before Gilardino failed to convert a Diamanti cross. Eventually, just after the hour, they had the goal their play had warranted.
An excellent cross from the left by Archimede Morleo was met by the head of Kone, who had ghosted in behind Ogbonna to head the ball powerfully back across the goal, beating Gillet. In true Giampiero Ventura style, the Torino coach reacted not by immediately looking to hit back, but looking to seal the point. Winger Cerci was withdrawn for full-back Danilo D'Ambrosio, while Bologna searched for the winning goal.
However, it was Toro who had the next great chance to win the game, after the ball came to Jonathas inside the box with eight minutes remaining. Lashing at the ball, he fired wide of the far post, missing a great chance to earn three points for his side. He would be punished.
Inside the final five minutes of normal time the ball popped out to Bologna's Tiberio Guarente on the edge of the Torino box, with the substitute midfielder crashing a powerful shot first time into the net. Torino were forced to come out and look for an equaliser, though even with top scorer Rolando Bianchi thrown on for some more firepower, it looked like they wouldn't manage to draw level.
That was until literally the last kick of the game, when Bianchi prodded in a low cross from D’Ambrosio, after keeper Curci went walkabout in his own area. Having enjoyed such control over the match, Bologna were left kicking themselves.
Bologna: Gianluca Curci; Archimede Morleo, Nicolò Cherubin, Mikael Antonsson, György Garics; Saphir Taïder, Rene Krhin (Tiberio Guarente 82); Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Manolo Gabbiadini 61), Alessandro Diamanti, Panagiotis Kone (Frederik Sørensen 88); Alberto Gilardino
Torino: Jean-François Gillet; Salvatore Masiello, Angelo Ogbonna, Kamil Glik, Matteo Darmian; Alessandro Gazzi, Migjen Basha; Mario Santana, Riccardo Meggiorini (Rolando Bianchi 73), Paulo Barreto (Jonathas 78), Alessio Cerci (Danilo D'Ambrosio 70)
Goals: Barreto 25 (T) Kone 65 (B) Guarente 85 (B) Bianchi 93 (T)
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