Inter Milan missed their chance to go on top of the standings after the defeat to Bologna, casting doubts on their Serie A title aspirations.
AC Milan will be the happier side after Bologna secured a shock victory over Inter Milan, who could have gone one point ahead of their local rivals on top of the table with the three points. Before the game, Inter trailed the Rossoneri by two points after the weekend’s fixtures.
Inter squandered the opportunity to make a statement win in the title race and now find themselves with an uphill task with four games to go in the domestic season. Bologna, who have been performing well in recent games against the big sides, pulled off a better result than the draws against AC Milan and Juventus.
Inter took an early lead under three minutes through Ivan Perisic, with the Croatian international turning in a glorious effort to give his side the lead. The Serie A champions looked on fire after the opener, as they had a few efforts saved, and it did look like they might win with an emphatic scoreline.
Former Inter star Marko Arnautovic then got the equaliser against the run of play from a move he started, finishing it off with a well-directed header. Denzel Dumfries then had the chance to restore the lead, but he rose too soon to meet Perisic’s cross. With about eight minutes to go, goalkeeper Ionut Radu made an inexplicable error to hand Bologna the advantage.
Inter Milan missed the chance to go top of Serie A as a goalkeeping howler gifted Bologna victory – and put AC Milan in control of the title race.#BBCFootball
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 27, 2022
The stopper made a meal of a back pass and presented Nicola Sansone with an open net, and the Bologna man made no mistake there to slot it home from close range. The defeat leaves Inter two points behind AC Milan, with both teams playing the same number of games. With four games to go, the title race will go down the wire. Here’s how the Inter Milan players fared during their ill-fated defeat to Bologna away from home.
Ionut Radu: 3/10
Radu had very little to do from a defensive point of view, but he made the glaring error late in the game that gifted Bologna the winner. The goalkeeper fluffed a simple back pass to allow Nicola Sansone to aim at an empty net, which he did with composure.
1st Serie A start for Ionut Radu ?? this season and he makes an unforgettable error.
This Inter Milan loss sends AC Milan 2 points clear to the top and can cause them the SCUDETTO ?THE TITLE IS NOW IN MILAN'S HANDS. ?⚫@InterBoy1908 @MrBoadu @akomeahmessiah @Saliu_Isco pic.twitter.com/gNmg3w1MeT
— TOFFIC ? (@AmgKagawa) April 27, 2022
Milan Skriniar: 5.5/10
Skriniar was defensively susceptible, as he often found himself making poor decisions at the back. Due to his shaky performance, the backline looked vulnerable at times, and Federico Dimarco suffered the most because of this as he was left to handle Arnautovic on his own.
Stefan de Vrij: 4/10
Inter’s entire back-three found it difficult to deal with Arnautovic’s presence, and de Vrij seemed to get battered every time the Austrian came charging at him.
Federico Dimarco: 5/10
Dimarco was an asset when Inter looked to attack the ball, although he was the guilty party for letting Bologna into the game after a dominant period. Arnautovic bullied him for the equaliser, and in hindsight, that strike cost the team too much.
Denzel Dumfries: 5/10
There were two aspects that inadvertently affected how Inter attacked. In the first half when the team were dominant, Dumfries was on hand to contribute in some brilliant attacking moves, even seeing an effort go wide. However, as the game progressed, he had difficulties dealing with Aaron Hickey, which reduced Inter’s ability to attack from the right-hand side.
Nicolo Barella: 3/10
Barella had a stinker of a game, as he failed to control proceedings in the midfield areas. His passing was erratic and lacked any sort of composure needed in a team that is defending the Serie A title. He did get an assist for the Perisic goal, but the low rating is for the lack of sharpness and the loss of control of his area.
Nicolò Barella is the fourth player to provide 10+ assists in Serie A this season:
◎ 12 – Domenico Berardi
◎ 11 – Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
◎ 10 – Hakan Calhanoglu
◉ 10 – Nicolò BarellaIt's the first time he has reached double figures in his career. ? pic.twitter.com/pplqp9tiV9
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 27, 2022
Marcelo Brozovic: 4/10
Inter may have dominated the proceedings for most parts of the game, but the entire midfield unit lacked any level of composure to gain control for consistent periods. Brozovic was one of them, as the Croat faded away quickly from the game, much like Barella.
Hakan Calhanoglu: 5/10
Calhanoglu was the better player in the midfield trifecta, as he pulled the strings in the most sustained period of Inter dominance before Bologna netted equaliser. For his efforts, he was booked and is now suspended for the next match.
Ivan Perisic: 7/10
Perisic set the tone for Inter early in the game after his brilliant effort opened the scoring. He was involved in plenty of good moves in the dominant period of the first half, but he faded away in the second period.
Lautaro Martinez: 4.5/10
Martinez fluffed a rebound from a long-range drive by Dimarco, and Inter could have doubled their lead then. The Argentine failed to impose himself in the game and lacked understanding with strike partner Joachim Correa for the whole game.
Joaquin Correa: 3/10
There was no understanding between him and Martinez, making Inter fans miss Dzeko’s presence in the front two. Many wrong decisions ended up costing his side.
SUBSTITUTES
Edin Dzeko: 5/10
Dzeko added a much-needed presence in the final third, although he was unable to influence the game when Inter looked to retake the lead.
Alexis Sanchez: 5/10
Sanchez replaced the ineffective Correa, as Inter were desperate to take the lead.
Danilo D’Ambrosio: 5/10
He replaced the struggling Dimarco and added some level of competence at the back.
Roberto Gagliardini: 4/10
He came in place of Calhanoglu as Inter looked to take control of the proceedings in the final ten minutes of the game before disaster struck them.
