Empoli 0-3 Bologna: Dallinga at the double in big Coppa Italia win

Thijs Dallinga was at the double as Bologna took control of their Coppa Italia semi-final tie against Empoli with a 3-0 win in the first leg.

Bologna last won the Coppa Italia in 1974, but have one foot in the final after a dominant display on Tuesday.

Empoli knocked out Juventus after a penalty shoot-out to reach their first semi-final, but this time the contrasting Serie A form of both sides showed, as the relegation-threatened hosts were outclassed by Champions League-chasing Bologna.

The visitors took the lead in the 23rd minute when Jens Odgaard crossed from the left and while Dallinga attracted the attention of two defenders, the ball fell kindly to the unmarked Riccardo Orsolini, who drove his first-time shot into the net.

Bologna doubled their advantage six minutes later, with Dallinga tucking away a perfect throughball from Dan Ndoye.

Their scoring was rounded off early in the second half as the duo combined again – Dallinga sliding in to finish off Ndoye’s pass across goal.

Empoli have a mountain to climb in the second leg on April 24. The winner of the tie will meet either AC Milan or Inter, who play their semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

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Data Debrief: Dallinga delights

Dallinga played his part in all three goals, and finished the match with six shots – the most attempts by any Bologna player in a Coppa Italia game this season.

His goals came from 1.24 expected goals, with Dallinga responsible for well over half of Bologna’s 2.02 xG.

Empoli, meanwhile, hardly threatened. They had seven attempts but only one landed on target, while their xG came in at 0.32.