Vardy Stuns Bologna as Cremonese Claim Stunning Away Victory

Cremonese beat Bologna 3-1. Bologna entered this fixture sitting pretty in fifth place with European ambitions burning bright, their 24 points from 12 matches reflecting a side brimming with confidence. Cremonese arrived at the Renato Dall'Ara as mid-table visitors, their 14 points suggesting modest expectations - but football rarely follows the script.

The visitors stunned the home crowd by racing into a commanding lead before the break. Martín Payero opened the scoring in the 31st minute, drilling a right-footed effort from outside the box into the bottom right corner after Matteo Bianchetti threaded a perfect through ball. Four minutes later, Jamie Vardy doubled the advantage with a clinical right-footed finish from the centre of the box, converting Federico Bonazzoli's assist with trademark composure. Bologna managed to halve the deficit deep into first-half stoppage time when Riccardo Orsolini converted from the penalty spot, his left-footed strike finding the bottom right corner to give the home side hope.

Any dreams of a Bologna comeback were extinguished just 50 seconds into the second half. Vardy struck again, this time from close range, prodding home a right-footed effort from the right side of the six-yard box after Tommaso Barbieri delivered a pinpoint cross. The veteran striker's movement and finishing proved the difference between two sides heading in opposite directions.

Despite controlling 65.5% of possession and registering seven shots on target to Cremonese's five, Bologna struggled to break down a resolute visiting defence. Emil Audero proved instrumental between the posts for Cremonese, making crucial saves including a fine stop from Tommaso Pobega's long-range effort in the dying minutes. The home side's 13 corners told the story of their territorial dominance, but Cremonese's defensive discipline and clinical counter-attacking nullified Bologna's numerical advantages.

The turning point came with Vardy's second goal just after the restart, which deflated the home crowd and shifted momentum decisively toward the visitors. Bologna threw everything forward in the final 20 minutes, with substitutes Thijs Dallinga and Federico Bernardeschi adding fresh impetus, but Cremonese held firm through six minutes of added time.

Bologna will look to bounce back when they face their next Serie A opponents, while Cremonese will aim to build on this impressive away performance in their upcoming fixture. This result highlighted the unpredictable nature of Serie A, where league positions often count for little on matchday.