The two teams came into the match in contrasting form, with Bologna winning their last five and Verona winless in almost three months.
Yet, it was the visitors who had the early opportunities, as Gift Orban and Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro saw shots blocked before Kieron Bowie fizzed his shot wide.
Bologna took a while to get going, but eventually settled into possession around the half-hour mark. Nevertheless, they struggled to create any clear-cut chances, failing to register a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes. Ultimately, a goalless first half extended Bologna’s league-high record of games being level at half-time to 18.
The Rossoblù came out firing for the second half, clearly fired up by Vincenzo Italiano’s team-talk. In fact, they hit the woodwork within two minutes of the restart as Riccardo Orsolini struck the post with a volley from just inside the box.
Ultimately, though, they broke the deadlock before the 50-minute mark, when a period of sustained pressure paid dividends.
The ball was worked to Nadir Zortea out on the right, and his low cross into the box was swept home by Jonathan Rowe, who notched his first league goal of the campaign with a neat side-footed finish.
That lead lasted a little over four minutes, however, as Verona hit back in emphatic fashion.
A cross into the Bologna box was only half cleared, and Martin Frese had the freedom to unleash a thunderous effort into the bottom corner.
The Gialloblù were in the ascendancy after levelling the scoreline and went ahead less than five minutes later.
This time, there were just 15 seconds between the ball leaving goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo’s possession and it hitting the back of the net, as a quick burst forward culminated in Orban laying the ball on a plate for Bowie to fire home from close range and complete the turnaround.
Italiano’s men pushed for the equaliser but, with time running out, they were punished for leaving gaps at the back - or so they thought.
Orban was once again involved in a counter as he picked out Amin Sarr, who kept his composure to net, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review for an apparent foul in the build-up, a decision which incensed the visiting bench.
Despite their frustration, Verona managed to hang on in the final minutes to claim just their third win of the league campaign. Bologna, meanwhile, lose ground in their pursuit of European football, with the gap to Juventus in sixth place now standing at 11 points.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gift Orban (Verona)
