2035/26 Scudetto winners Inter Milan ensured that their Serie A title celebration didn’t end in a defeat by coming back from 3-1 to hold Bologna in a six-goal thriller.
The thriller included a fantastic Federico Dimarco free kick, a bizarre Piotr Zielinski own goal, and an Andy Diouf scorcher.
The Nerazzurri, who had won a domestic double ( Scudetto and Coppa Italia), released Hakan Calhanoglu, Marcus Thuram, Manuel Akanji, and Denzel Dumfries early, with Davide Frattesi injured.
The hosts were also without Riccardo Orsolini, Nicolò Cambiaghi, Martin Vitik, and Nicolò Casale as Lorenzo De Silvestri started on his 38th birthday ahead of probable retirement.
Bologna had the first chance as Jonathan Rowe’s early effort got blocked and was denied by a splendid Yann Bisseck sliding tackle.
Another chance to punish Inter came their way, but Santiago Castro’s first touch let him down after Josep Martinez got into a tangle playing out from the back.
However, it was the champions that went ahead with their first real scoring opportunity. Dimarco continued his sensational season with another lovely free kick curled into the near top corner.
Dimarco rounded up the season with seven goals and 17 assists, breaking the record of a defender contributing to more goals in the last 20 years of the top five European Leagues.
Bologna responded a few minutes later to restore parity as Federico Bernardeschi flicked on a throw-in with his heel to send Castro into the box. The former Juventus midfielder was ready to prod home the rebound from seven yards when Stefan de Vrij cut him off.
They had a chance to turn it around when Remo Freuler ballooned over from eight yards after an awkward bounce.
After Rowe drilled just wide, Carlos Augusto made the decisive block from six yards as Castro met the Freuler assist.
Bologna eventually turned it around before half-time, as Tommaso Pobega’s volley from the edge of the area took a double deflection off Petar Sucic and Lautaro Martinez to totally wrongfoot the Inter goalkeeper.
Inter went further behind with an own goal as Juan Miranda pulled back from the left by-line for Bernardeschi, but Piotr Zielinski got there first and accidentally turned it into his own net from close range.
Bologna got another chance to take the game beyond the reach of the champions as Bernardeschi fired straight at the Inter goalkeeper, while Lukasz Skorupski’s leg turned a Carlos Augusto effort onto the side-netting from close range.
Inter then reduced the deficit to one goal as Andy Diouf dribbled between two down the right and his finish thumped the base of the near post, and got to Francesco Pio Esposito for the easiest of tap-ins on the rebound.
Bologna almost restored a two-goal lead moments later, as Castro stood up a cross and the acrobatic Rowe volley didn’t connect from six yards, while Diouf and Lewis Ferguson drilled wide.
Inter finally restored parity when Diouf ran onto the perfectly weighted pass from Luka Topalovic, took a touch before smashing the right-foot finish into the roof of the net from a tricky angle to complete the six-goal thriller in a season in which Inter have once again scored 83 goals.
