Bologna secured a much-needed 2-1 away victory against Torino FC, a result that could be crucial in revitalizing their season after a challenging period.
Head coach Vincenzo Italiano commended match-winner Santiago Castro for his key role, emphasizing the striker’s innate goal-scoring instinct.
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“A centre-forward can sometimes thrive in those moments and decide games with a brilliant piece of skill, as he did,” Italiano remarked to Sky Sport, via TMW.
BOLOGNA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 11: Santiago Castro of Bologna celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Coppa Italia match against SS Lazio at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
“Not every goal arises from a structured play. He had a fantastic intuition and netted a crucial goal that guided us to victory in an essential match following a tough stretch. We need more displays like this to push past it.”
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Torino 1-2 Bologna – Italiano: ‘Rowe is improving significantly’
The Rossoblu’s attack showed encouraging signs, particularly with summer signing Jonathan Rowe, who is progressively acclimating to Italian football.
“Rowe has improved a lot, in particular,” Italiano noted. “He possesses the talent for one-on-one situations. Once he adds consistency and composure near the goal, he could become a top player. Coming from a different football culture, he’s still young and not fluent in Italian yet.”
BOLOGNA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 08: Jonathan Rowe competes for possession against Sascha Britschgi of Parma Calcio during the Serie A match at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on February 08, 2026. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
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Italiano also highlighted the significance of contributions from wide players and expressed disappointment regarding Federico Bernardeschi’s injury.
“Bernardeschi was showing great improvement, and it’s unfortunate that he got injured just as he was regaining his rhythm. When he is back to full sharpness, his ability to shoot with precision will be vital. Goals from wingers are essential.”
Despite the win, Italiano emphasized the necessity for Bologna to build upon this single result.
“Over the past month and a half, we lost our ability to score consistently and to restrict opponents. We strayed from that. We aim for three to five strong performances to progress in Europe and remain in a competition we value highly. Before claiming we’ve moved past this challenging period, we need to demonstrate consistency in both our performance and results.”
TURIN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 15: Vincenzo Italiano observes during the Serie A match at Stadio Olimpico di Torino on February 15, 2026. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
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Responding to whether the team had lost its momentum or direction, he stated:
“There are moments that can negatively affect us. We faced teams in great form, experienced red cards, and made mistakes simultaneously. We didn’t handle those situations carefully. Our true potential isn’t reflected by our earlier position after Udinese; it’s significantly higher than our recent performances suggest. Playing with more freedom should allow us to express ourselves even better than today.”
The victory offers a much-needed boost, but for Bologna, the real challenge lies in maintaining this level over the coming weeks.