Inter got back to winning ways in Serie A on Saturday with a convincing 3-1 win over Bologna at the Dall’Ara Stadium, extending their lead at the top to eight points ahead of yesterday’s games.
In the late match, Parma beat Fiorentina 3-2 to move temporarily into third spot.
The 10th win from 13 games this season for Italian champions Inter over Bologna will undoubtedly instill confidence ahead of their Champions League match at Barcelona tomorrow.
Inter coach Jose Mourinho, however, said: “The Barcelona game will be a real test for my players.”
Diego Milito scored his eighth goal of the campaign to give Inter the lead midway through the first half, and despite an immediate equalizer from Marcelo Zalayeta, the Nerazzurri regained the lead four minutes before the break through Mario Balotelli.
With 18 minutes left, Esteban Cambiasso’s low strike wrapped up a comfortable win, spoiled only by the stoppage-time sending off of Maicon for dissent.
“We won without too many problems and we deserved it,” said Mourinho, before being questioned about the halftime substitution of striker Balotelli. “He played a normal first half — he missed a chance, scored and then got a yellow card. Some players know how to play with a booking, but he plays in the same way, so I didn’t want to risk going down to 10 men.”
Looking fresh after the two-week break, Inter quickly forced the home side onto the back foot and midway through the first half Milito, latching onto a downward Lucio header, was allowed time to turn and rifle home from 6m. It looked ominous for Bologna, but right from the kickoff they equalized with their first attack.
Martins Adailton’s fine left-foot chipped the ball over the Inter defense for Zalayeta, who showed composure to bring the ball down, before firing into the top corner as Julio Cesar rushed out. With Motta increasingly influential, Inter soon regained the lead. The Brazilian midfielder played in Dejan Stankovic, whose left-foot finish hit the far post, ran across the goal-line and struck the other post, before Viviano jumped on the ball ahead of the lurking Cambiasso.
Bologna then conceded a soft goal on 41 minutes, when Balotelli applied the simplest of headers to a left-wing corner to give Inter the lead. Viviano was beaten for a third time on 72 minutes by a goal made in Argentina — the excellent Cambiasso released Milito, before running on to his compatriot’s cross to drill home left-footed.
“We knew it was going to be tough as Inter are the best side in the country,” said striker Marco Di Vaio, whose Bologna side remain 15th.
In Florence, Alberto Gilardino gave Fiorentina a deserved lead on 26 minutes with a deft angled header from a Mario Santana cross.
Parma quickly got back on equal terms when Nicola Amoruso slid in to bury Cristian Zaccardo’s inviting cross on 30 minutes. The away side took the lead on 52 minutes when Valeri Bojinov broke the Viola offside trap to apply the faintest of touches to a Daniele Galloppa free-kick.
With second spot up for grabs, the Viola responded, and after Juan Vargas had crashed a left-footer just wide on 55 minutes, Gilardino showed his strength to meet Vargas’ corner with another trademark header for his second and the equalizer on 61 minutes.
Despite the blow, the away side grabbed the winner on 68 minutes. With the outside of his foot, veteran Christian Panucci played in Davide Lanzafame and the substitute, racing clear, slipped the ball past Sebastien Frey.
Marco Donadel was given his marching orders on 86 minutes after picking up a second yellow card, then, deep into stoppage-time, Gilardino got his head to another left-wing cross, but was denied a hat-trick by Antonio Mirante.
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