Serie A 2024-25: Inter held to 2-2 draw against Bologna

Serie A 2024-25: Inter held to 2-2 draw against Bologna

Inter Milan was held to a 2-2 home draw by Bologna in Serie A on Wednesday, with the visitors snapping Simone Inzaghi’s side’s six-game winning run.

Bologna took a shock lead after 15 minutes when forward Santiago Castro deflected the ball into the net from close range before the hosts fired back four minutes later through defender Denzel Dumfries from a rebound.

Lautaro Martinez gave Inter the lead in first-half stoppage time with a superb shot into the roof of the net, but Emil Holm levelled for Bologna in the 64th minute after his low strike deflected off Inter’s Nicolo Barella and bounced in off a post.

Inter, which last week lost the Italian Super Cup final against AC Milan, remained second in the standings with 44 points and trails leader Napoli by three points.

It still has a game in hand after its December fixture at Fiorentina was suspended when midfielder Edoardo Bove collapsed before undergoing heart surgery.

Champions League side Bologna, also with a game in hand, is eighth on 30 points.

Inter last dropped points in the league when it was held to a 1-1 home draw by Napoli on November 10.

The visitors were off to a quick start thanks to Castro, who provided the last touch after Bologna midfielder Nikola Moro unleashed a shot from outside of the box.

Inter was even quicker to respond, with Dumfries scoring low inside the far post in the 19th minute.

Marcus Thuram recovered the ball on the halfway line before leaving it inside the box for Federico Dimarco, who forced Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski into a terrific save before the Dutch defender netted on a follow-up.

Martinez put Inter up 2-1 just before the interval from Dimarco’s neat horizontal pass from the left flank that the Argentine striker netted with a first-time finish.

The hosts were deservedly leading at the break but slowed down their pace significantly after the restart.

After Bologna’s Sweden defender Holm equalised, Inter struggled to threaten Skorupski for another goal and ended up settling for a draw.

Inter hosts 14th-placed Empoli on Sunday ahead of its trip to Sparta Prague in the Champions League next Wednesday.

Bologna will host bottom side Monza next Saturday before welcoming Borussia Dortmund in Europe’s elite club competition on Tuesday.