Bologna gets a comfortable win at home against Inter thanks to the goal from Ricardo Orsolini. Bologna dominated throughout the match and made Inter suffer with 1-0 victory.
Lukaku started in front for Inter in place of Dzeko after his game-winning goal in the middle of the week, and Brozovic, Gosens, Dumfries, and De Vrij were also added to the lineup. Barella and Acerbi were dropped to the bench, while Dimarco, Skriniar, and Correa were out due to injuries.
For Bologna, Marko Arnautovic, a former Inter striker, was sidelined with an injury, and the Austrian’s backup Joshua Zirkzee and centre back Kevin Bonifazi were both left off the Bologna roster today. Orsolini had contributed to five of Bologna’s last six Serie A goals in the absence of the former, including a late winner last week, but Inter are the team he had played the most Serie A minutes against without scoring.
Bastoni’s flailing arm knocked Ferguson to the ground, giving Bologna a free kick on the right in the opening minutes. Orsolini botched his delivery, but the ball was eventually gathered into his gloves by Onana.
In the middle of Bologna’s defence, a hopeful throughball skipped past Lucumi, but Skorupski was quick to come off his line and stop Gosens, who had drifted in from the left.
Ferguson’s goal-bound shot on the left side of the box was blocked by Darmian, but the Bologna attack was not finished. When the ball was recycled, the Scot fed Barrow, who spun and shot from the edge of the box into the goal. When Barrow hit the ball, Dominguez was offside, and the goal was ultimately disallowed by VAR.
Lukaku’s attempt was blocked behind for a corner, and Martinez then mishit his header after Calhanoglu’s corner kick.
Bologna came close yet again. Cambiaso’s rasping shot from the edge of the box was first stopped by Onana, and then Soriano pummelling the rebound at the top-right corner; it smashed against the crossbar, giving Inter yet another narrow escape.
Just too fast for Lukaku to reach, Brozovic’s first-time ball down the inside-right channel trundled behind for a Bologna goal-kick.
Martinez and Lukaku connected on the edge of Bologna’s box, but Martinez couldn’t get past a mass of Rossoblu shirts, and Lucumi was able to stab the ball clear.
Inter looked content to play on the break as Bologna continued to force them back into their defensive third.
Darmian attempted a daring cross-field shot from the back. After it missed a teammate, Mkhitaryan gained control of the ball about 20 yards from goal and sent a rising shot over the crossbar. That was the closest Inter has gotten thus far.
Calhanoglu finally recorded Inter’s first shot on goal, but Skorupski made a straightforward save in the centre of his goal. The Inter midfielder slipped as he followed through, so the 20-yard strike lacked the power he is used to.
At the 40th minute, the goal for Inter was getting closer. Martinez’s header from close to the penalty spot went wide of the near post after Bastoni delivered a dangerous cross from the left.
When Soriano passed the ball to Dominguez, it appeared that the latter was going to shoot from the edge of the box, but he slipped on the wet field, and the ball bounced away.
Inter stumbled down the tunnel at halftime level with a bright Bologna team, who had a goal disallowed by the VAR and rattled the woodwork, escaping punishment for a slow start.
After a horribly scrappy first half, Inter finally gained control of the ball in midfield, and Gosens then successfully poked the ball from the left byline back into the penalty area. Skorupski missed it, but Calhanoglu shot it over from close range.
Dumfries’ charge down the right gave Inter a corner kick, but Soriano was able to clear the ball with his head after it crossed the goal line, and Bologna were able to clear their lines.
Bologna missed another opportunity when Barrow was unable to convert Orsolini’s low cross into the six-yard box, and Soriano’s shot was blocked by Darmian close to the goal line. Dominguez then directly hit at Onana with the follow-up.
Lukaku’s hasty shot forced Skorupski to make a low diving save. The Belgian striker had a chance as a result of Lucumi’s error, but it lacked the conviction to squeak inside the near post.
Inter moved the ball purposefully after the introduction of their substitutes, and Acerbi clipped over a cross that Dzeko directed at the goal from close range. Skorupski, however, was well placed and positioned his body behind it and made a spectacular save for Bologna.
It appeared Bologna would finally be rewarded for their excellent performance when Orsolini was given the ball in midfield before distributing Barrow clear through the centre. The substitute striker’s low shot, which hardly troubled Onana in the Inter goal, was unconvincing.
Orsolini succeeds once more. The in-form winger burst through a huge opening in Inter’s defence, latching onto Schouten’s deep sweeper and launching himself past the defenceless Onana from the edge of the box. His precise goal gave Bologna a 1-0 lead.
Martinez’s shot on the turn from 20 yards out was deflected and missed the mark. A corner was his consolation prize, but Inter ultimately wasted the opportunity.
FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE ON TWITTER
READ MORE;
Empoli 0-2 Napoli: The Partenopei triumph in the league
Inter 0-0 Porto: Nerazzuri win against a strong challenge from Porto
Frankfurt 0-2 Napoli: Osimhen and Di Lorenzo inspires Napoli to first-leg lead