BOLOGNA BEAT SELENITANA TO INCH CLOSER TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE

AP Photo 

 ROME (AP) — Bologna beat lowly Salernitana 3-0 in Serie A on Monday and took another step towards Champions League football.

The eighth win in nine games for Thiago Motta’s side pushed it to within two points of third-placed Juventus. A fourth place finish would ensure Bologna of Champions League football for the first time.

Riccardo Orsolini opened the scoring after 14 minutes with a tremendous left-foot shot from outside the box and Alexis Saelemaekers doubled Bologna’s lead a minute from halftime.

Left back Charalampos Lykogiannis completed the scoring in stoppage time after working a neat one-two with Saelemaekers.

The result marked an unhappy debut for Salernitana coach Stefano Colantuono, the club’s fourth coach this season.

Salernitana looks doomed to spend next season in the second tier. With eight games remaining, it is 11 points from safety.

Salernitana plays Sassuolo next Friday in a relegation six-point game made all the more urgent after Sassuolo surrendered a lead at home to Udinese.

SERIE A: SASSUOLO VS SALERNITANA RECAP

ROME (AP) — Salernitana missed a golden opportunity to pick up its first win of the Italian league season on Friday when it gave up a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 away at Sassuolo.

The result was a big blow to Salernitana coach Filippo Inzaghi. The former Juventus and AC Milan striker has yet to win any of his four league games since taking charge in October and the club remains rooted to the bottom of the Serie A table with just five points from 12 games.

Salernitana is the 30th team in the history of the Serie A not to win any of its first 12 games in the league season. Of the previous 29, only three avoided relegation.