Inter completed another Serie A comeback victory to inflict the first defeat on Raffaele Palladino’s Bologna, with Marcus Thuram, Carlos Augusto and Ange-Yoan Bonny goals.
The Nerazzurri were shaken by the 4-3 home defeat to Club Brugge in the Champions League, especially as Lautaro Martinez was ruled out for a month by a thigh injury, with Benjamin Pavard, Curtis Jones and John Stones already sidelined.
Bologna had their own issues, losing Riccardo Orsolini and Emil Holm for several weeks, but new coach Raffaele Palladino was turning things around with a draw against Torino and 2-1 victory away to Lecce. Matteo Darmian faced his former club, having joined the Rossoblu as a free agent on October 8.
See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.
Tommaso Pobega flashed a dangerous ball across the face of goal within 18 seconds, but Roberto Piccoli at full stretch couldn’t get the final touch.
Lukasz Skorupski returned in goal after being dropped and looked a little uncertain getting down to fingertip a Nicolò Barella half-volley wide, then Luis Henrique failed to make the most of being left unmarked on the Federico Dimarco corner.
Luis Henrique was caught in possession by Juan Miranda to send Pobega on the counter-attack, surging into the box and surprising Josep Martinez at the near post with the inside of the left boot.
Josep Martinez flew to palm a Federico Bernardeschi strike out from under the bar, while Niccolò Cambiaghi hit the side-netting after controlling a long Arthur Theate pass.
Marcus Thuram couldn’t keep the volley down at the back stick on a Federico Dimarco free kick, but Bologna were forced into a change when Piccoli limped off, replaced by Jay Enem.
Pobega drilled just wide from the edge of the box, but it was nearly 2-0 when Cambiaghi’s attempt from a corner was charged down into the path of Pobega to smash against the crossbar from a tricky angle.
Instead, Inter equalised moments later when Barella whipped in a cross from the right for the towering Thuram header, flicking it mid-air to redirect into the far top corner.
Bologna replied immediately with a mad scramble, concluded with the Martinez save on Nadir Zortea at the back stick, then before half-time Skorupski clawed a Pio Esposito header away from point-blank range.
Inter piled on the pressure, Skorupski alert to smother at Pio Esposito’s feet on an Alessandro Bastoni ball over the top, and right behind the Petar Sucic snapshot.
Thuram dribbled into the box and ran into former teammate Darmian, but the Inter striker was somewhat harshly booked for simulation, even if it wasn’t a penalty either.
Lewis Ferguson threw his face in the way of a Sucic curler, deflecting it off target, and the siege finally paid off with two substitutes making an immediate impact.
Andy Diouf sent Zielinski down the right, he rolled it across for Carlos Augusto to tap in at the back post with practically his first touch of the game.
Inter really should’ve been 3-1 up when Ange-Yoan Bonny drew Skorupski out and his shot was pushed into the path of Sucic, who somehow volleyed onto the upright of an open goal from 10 yards.
Bonny did have the ball in the net on 81 minutes, but only after he was flagged offside when scoring from a tricky angle.
It was just a warning, as he did score soon after. It was a great team move involving four substitutes, Henrikh Mkhitaryan controlling the Hakan Calhanoglu cross-field pass and sending Carlos Augusto down the left, the roll across tapped in from seven yards by Bonny.
Bologna 1-3 Inter
Pobega 10 (B), Thuram 44 (I), Carlos Augusto 69 (I), Bonny 84 (I)
Player statistic
| Tommaso Pobega (Assist: Juan Miranda) |
10' | |||
| Arthur Theate | 34' | |||
| 35' | Pio Esposito | |||
| 44' | Marcus Thuram (Assist: Nicolò Barella) |
| Tommaso Pobega | 57' | |||
| 61' | Marcus Thuram | |||
| 69' | Carlos Augusto (Assist: Piotr Zielinski) | |||
| Juan Miranda | 71' | |||
| Federico Bernardeschi | 72' | |||
| 79' |  |
Carlos Augusto | ||
| 83' |  |
Ange-Yoan Bonny (Assist: Carlos Augusto) |
Match statistic
Starting lineups
Substitutes
