Bologna vs Arminia Bielefeld

Joel Grodowski opened the scoring after just eight minutes, and doubled Arminia's lead six minutes later with another finish — the 26-year-old marking himself as the standout performer inside the opening quarter-hour. Marius Wörl made it 3-0 in the 29th minute, leaving Bologna with a mountain to climb before the interval.

Bologna's misery deepened in first-half stoppage time. J. Rowe was shown a red card in the 41st minute — the second Bologna booking of the half after Dominguez had been yellow-carded in the 37th minute — reducing Domenico Tedesco's side to ten men for the entire second period.

Tedesco changed all ten outfield players at half-time, introducing Happonen, Papazov, Ilic, Vitik, Zortea, Cambiaghi, El Azzouzi, Bernardeschi, Orsolini and Dallinga, but the numerical disadvantage proved insurmountable. Arminia substitute M. Bauer added a fourth in the 90th minute to complete the rout.

Rowe's red card in the 41st minute, with Bologna already trailing 3-0, effectively ended any possibility of a comeback. Facing a three-goal deficit and a full second half with ten men, Bologna's pre-season workout became a damage-limitation exercise. The hosts managed to keep the scoreline at 3-0 for 49 minutes but eventually conceded a fourth in stoppage time.

• Joel Grodowski (Arminia Bielefeld) — Two goals in the opening 14 minutes (8', 14') set the tone. The forward's movement caused constant problems for the Bologna defence before he was substituted in the 65th minute.
• Marius Wörl (Arminia Bielefeld) — Scored the third goal in the 29th minute and was withdrawn at half-time, having done his job in a dominant first 45 minutes.
• M. Bauer (Arminia Bielefeld) — Came off the bench and scored the fourth goal in the 90th minute, a late flourish that underlined the gulf between the sides on the day.

Arminia's four goals from 1.19 xG (per the provider data) suggests clinical finishing rather than sustained dominance in terms of chance quantity — though the 3-0 half-time scoreline tells its own story. Bologna's solitary red card and the subsequent numerical disadvantage in the second half skewed the contest significantly. The hosts made ten half-time substitutions, a standard pre-season rotation that disrupted any chance of building rhythm but also reflected the depth Tedesco is testing ahead of the 2026/27 Serie A campaign.

Both sides are in the early stages of pre-season preparation for the 2026/27 campaign. Bologna, under new head coach Domenico Tedesco, will face sterner tests as they build towards a Serie A season that begins later this summer. Arminia Bielefeld, managed by Oliver Kirch, continued their pre-season programme with a statement performance against a team from a higher division. The 3. Liga side will take significant confidence from the result.

A comprehensive Arminia Bielefeld performance that exposed a Bologna side still finding its feet under Tedesco. The 4-0 scoreline was built on the platform of Grodowski's early double and sealed by a red card that left the Serie A outfit with no route back into the contest. For pre-season, the result matters less than the fitness gained — but the margin will raise eyebrows.