Bari breathed new life into the Serie A title race by holding champions Inter to a draw for the second time this season after a 2-2 stalemate that included three penalties.
Inter, who were 2-0 down at one stage, now lead city rivals AC Milan by nine points, but the Rossoneri have two games in hand with the derby to come next weekend.
While Inter coach Jose Mourinho may feel it was two points dropped, as was the case when Inter hosted the southerners on the opening day of the season, the result was a testament to Inter’s powers of recovery.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Two Paulo Baretto penalties looked to have given Bari victory, but Macedonia striker Goran Pandev pulled a goal back, before Argentine strike partner Diego Milito’s penalty earned the champions a share of the spoils.
Mourinho was not entirely happy with the result and pointed to his side’s penalty, claiming Bari should have had Leonardo Bonucci dismissed.
“Obviously, I’m satisfied with the comeback because if you’re losing 2-0 away against a side of this quality, it’s not easy to get a draw, but obviously I’m not satisfied we conceded two goals,” Mourinho said. “After conceding two penalties in five minutes the game seemed lost, but the lads showed great character to earn a point that seemed lost. You can never say if in football, but if Bari had played with 10 men at the end and with no centerback left on the bench, there would have been a different result.”
Few clear-cut chances were created in the first half, but Bari clearly had the better of things, with Honduran winger Edgar Alvarez’s pace causing considerable problems for makeshift leftback Ivan Cordoba.
It was Alvarez who had the first clear sight of goal on 28 minutes, as Massimo Donati’s pass found a gap between Cordoba and centerback Lucio with the Honduran racing on to the ball, but with only Julio Cesar to beat he fired against the goalkeeper’s legs.
Four minutes later, Hungarian Vladimir Koman slipped the ball wide to overlapping leftback Alessandro Parisi and his fierce drive was beaten away by Julio Cesar.
Inter seemed to be coming back into the match early in the second period when Wesley Sneijder struck a powerful free-kick from distance wide out on the left, only for Belgian goalkeeper Jean-Francois Gillet to tip the ball around the post.
From the resulting corner, Milito’s shot was blocked and Cordoba sliced the rebound wide.
The game then changed on two penalties, the first given when Riccardo Meggiorini’s cross from the left hit Walter Samuel’s arm.
Baretto sent Julio Cesar the wrong way to open the scoring.
Just three minutes later, Lucio gave away another penalty after clumsily bundling Parisi over in the box.
Baretto shot to the other corner this time, again sending Julio Cesar the wrong way.
Mourinho’s response was immediate, throwing on winger Ricardo Quaresma and fullback Davide Santon.
Inter were soon level after some shoddy Bari defending.
A Mario Balotelli shot from distance on 69 minutes hit Andrea Masiello and Pandev was quickest to react to the loose ball to slot home.
Five minutes later, a ricochet played Pandev in behind the Bari defense and Bonucci brought him down, with Milito despatching the third spot-kick of the game.
Mourinho wasn’t happy that Bonucci wasn’t sent off and disputed the penalty against Samuel.
“I haven’t seen a TV replay, but it seems to me that there were many questions on the first penalty,” he said. “Then there seems to be a special rule for us. Early in the season against Milan, [Gennaro] Gattuso didn’t get a red card for a foul as the last man and again here, if this isn’t a red card then I’ve nothing to say. If Pandev is behind the defense and Bonucci is the last man, then why isn’t it a red card?”
Alvarez had a chance to win the game when played in by Baretto, but his first touch was far too heavy and Julio Cesar cleared.
Earlier in the day, Cagliari went sixth, just three points off a Champions League position, with a 3-0 defeat of Livorno.
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