7M - Bologna Edge Roma In Europa League Thriller To Reach Quarter Finals

Bologna secured a dramatic 4-3 extra time victory over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on March 19 2026 to advance to the UEFA Europa League quarter finals with a 5-4 aggregate win. The Rossoblu will now face Aston Villa in the next round.

The second leg delivered nonstop action after the first leg finished 1-1. Jonathan Rowe opened the scoring for Bologna in the 22nd minute with a powerful strike from outside the box. Evan Ndicka equalized for Roma ten minutes later with a header from a corner. Federico Bernardeschi converted a penalty just before halftime to restore Bologna's lead.

Santiago Castro extended Bologna's advantage in the 58th minute with a fierce shot from the edge of the area. Roma responded through Donyell Malen's penalty in the 69th minute and Lorenzo Pellegrini's curling effort in the 80th minute to level the tie at 3-3 and force extra time.

Nicolò Cambiaghi proved decisive in the 111th minute. The Bologna forward finished a quick exchange with Thijs Dallinga before slotting past Mile Svilar to send the visitors through.

Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini acknowledged his side showed both their best and worst during the match. The Giallorossi were without several attacking players including Paulo Dybala Matias Soule Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson due to injury. Manu Kone also departed early with a muscular issue.

Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski was unavailable through injury with Federico Ravaglia stepping in. The Rossoblu celebrated a memorable European night at a venue where they won the Coppa Italia final last season.

The quarter final draw pairs Bologna with Aston Villa while other matchups include Braga versus Real Betis Freiburg versus Celta Vigo and Porto versus Nottingham Forest.