Thiago Motta is glad Bologna 'did not lose our heads' when going down to 10 men and instead fought back to grab a draw with Udinese.

The Rossoblu were expected to catch Juventus in third place, but were instead lucky to scrape a 1-1 draw against relegation strugglers Udinese.

They failed to make much impact in the first half, not getting a single shot on target, and were caught out in stoppages by Martin Payero.

It got even worse when Sam Beukema received a second yellow card at the 64th minute, but the audacious Alexis Saelemaekers free kick lob into the far top corner earned a draw.

"I am satisfied with the performance, we knew it was going to be complicated, as Udinese try to stop their opponents playing and are very dangerous on the counter-attack," Thiago Motta told DAZN.

"Despite not being perfect today, we still managed to equalise and did not lose our heads."

Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye was booked for time-wasting at the 50th minute and Thiago Motta saw that as a sad indictment of the game right now.

"Today 101 minutes was played with the ball in motion for just 31 minutes, so you can see the problem for yourselves."

Thiago Motta hails Saelemaekers Saelemaekers seemed to single-handedly battle to get Bologna back on level terms, and while some might call it a fluke, it is not the first time the Belgian has tried a free kick like that.

"He did well and this is his best period of form since he arrived at Bologna."

The Rossoblu are closing in on a Champions League spot and the enthusiasm in the Stadio Dall'Ara is palpable, but Thiago Motta's future remains a mystery.

"It is exciting because those who love football want to experience moments like this. It was spectacular today and this gives further motivation. Considering the way it arrived, the draw was a fantastic result," concluded the coach.

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