Inter vs Bologna 6-1 – Inter Cruise to Crushing Victory at Home

Inter’s strong start to the season continued on Saturday, with the reigning champions putting on an attacking masterclass against Bologna at the San Siro. Despite Bologna out-possessing Inter in the first half, Simone Inzaghi’s squad dominated.

Denzel Dumfries was electric on the right-wing, creating several chances and often finding passing combinations in the attacking third. The visitors had no answers for Inter’s strong defense, and Roberto Soriano struggled to connect the midfield and the forwards.

After playing a Champions League match against Real Madrid just three days prior, Simone Inzaghi made significant changes to Inter’s starting eleven, leaving Hakan Calhanoglu and Edin Dzeko on the bench. As a result, striker Joaquin Correa earned his first start of the season, partnering with Lautaro Martinez.

Bologna’s lineup also went without important attacking contributors. In anticipation of Tuesday’s clash against Genoa, Sinisa Mihajlovic omitted both Musa Barrow and Riccardo Orsolini in his 4-2-3-1.

Six minutes into the match, a sudden counter attack gave Inter the opening goal. Denzel Dumfries blitzed through the right channel and played a crisp pass to Martinez, who easily scored with a one-touch finish.

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After a long spell of possession, Bologna nearly equalized. Nicola Sansone found Soriano in the box, and the captain forced a wonderful one-handed save from Samir Handanovic. Sansone’s follow-up shot missed its target, but the visitors had seeming found their rhythm.

Inter’s attacking plan was significantly disrupted midway through the first half when Correa went down with an injury. The striker left with an apparent back issue, and Inzaghi brought on Dzeko as his replacement.

The champions extended their lead just after the injury. A well-placed corner kick found Milan Skriniar, who headed it past Lukasz Skorupsi into the net.

Moments later, more wonderful play from Dumfries created yet another goal for the Nerazzurri. After combining with Dzeko, the wing-back played a low cross into the box, which took deflection on the way. The ball fell to the feet of Nicolò Barella, and the midfielder fired a hard shot for Inter’s third goal of the match.

At the beginning of the second half, a quick counter attack by Mattias Svanberg nearly opened Bologna’s account. Breaking out on the left wing, his subsequent pass to Marko Arnautovic was just beyond the striker’s sliding attempt.

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However, Bologna’s form was short-lived, with the club soon conceding a fourth goal. A well-worked attack found Federico Dimarco in the box, and Matias Vecino scored the defender’s cross at the back-post.

Desperate to stop Dumfries, Bologna made several substitutions on the left wing. Mihajlovic brought on Barrow, Mitchell Djiks and Emanuel Vignato, deploying the trio defensively in an attempt to curb the barrage of chances.

Inter continued to attack, scoring their fifth goal of the match with nearly thirty minutes left. With Martinez on the ball, Bologna’s backline left Dzeko unmarked in the box. The Bosnian received the ball and poked it past Skorupski, bringing the score to 5-0.

Bologna’s defense apparently did not learn from its mistake, again leaving Dzeko unmarked. Substitute Alexis Sanchez played the striker through in the box, and he completed the brace with a fantastic curling shot.

With time dwindling, Bologna scored a late consolation goal. Musa Barrow crossed the ball to the right wing, and substitute Arthur Theate put a diving header past Handanovic. Despite conceding, Inter ended the match in good form, ready Tuesday’s clash against Fiorentina.  

 

MATCH SCORECARD

September 18, 2021 – Serie A 2021-22 Round 4
INTER – BOLOGNA 6-1

SCORERS: 6′ Lautaro Martinez (I), 30′ Skriniar (I), 34′ Barella (I), 54′ Vecino (I), 63′ Dzeko (I), 68′ Dzeko (I), 86′ Theate (B)

REFEREE: Mr. Ayroldi from Molfetta
NOTES: Yellow Cards: De Silvestri, Hickey, Dijks (B); Added Time: 1st Half 1′, 2nd Half 0′