Bologna and Torino shared the spoils at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, finishing 1-1 in a match that Bologna controlled for more than an hour before Torino substitute Sandro Kulenović levelled in the 77th minute to erase what had looked like a first Serie A victory of the season for Raffaele Palladino's side.
Federico Bernardeschi gave Bologna the lead in the 14th minute, converting the opener to put the home side ahead against a Torino outfit that had arrived in Bologna having won just one of their last four Serie A matches. For the best part of an hour, that lead held. Palladino's team had not won in their previous four league outings — one draw, three defeats — and the prospect of a first three points was tangible. Then Ignazio Abate's Torino made their move from the bench.
The triple substitution Abate introduced in the 68th minute — Rafik Belghali, Emirhan İlkhan, and Gaetano Oristanio replacing Eray Cömert, Daniel Bragança, and Nikola Vlašić respectively — reshaped the contest. Nine minutes later, Kulenović, who had himself entered as a 55th-minute substitute for Kian Fitz-Jim, converted with Rolando Mandragora providing the assist. The goal arrived at 1-1 and it stayed there: an equalizer that was also, in effect, the final word.
Kulenović is the key figure here. Introduced when Torino were a goal down and the match appeared to be drifting toward a Bologna win, the striker needed 22 minutes on the pitch to find the net. That the assist came from Mandragora — one of Torino's starters who had survived the wholesale changes — underlines that the equalizer was a collective effort rather than individual improvisation, but Kulenović's arrival as a focal point clearly altered the dynamic of the final third.
Bologna's frustration is legitimate. Bernardeschi was withdrawn in the 76th minute, one minute before Torino equalized, and the home side made five substitutions in total without managing to protect the lead. Three yellow cards for Torino — Bragança in the 30th minute, Belghali in the 74th, and Nathan Patterson in the 78th — suggest Abate's side were stretched and combative in equal measure, yet the discipline issues did not cost them. The point they took was earned against a Bologna team that had done enough to deserve more.
Including this result, Bologna have taken two points from their last three matches — no wins, two draws, one defeat. Torino's picture is marginally brighter in the same window: one win, one draw, one defeat across their last three Serie A fixtures. Neither side is building momentum, but Torino at least leave Emilia with a point.
A month from now, this match will be remembered as the afternoon Bologna had a Serie A win in their hands for 63 minutes and watched it slip away in the space of two.