Inter rally past Bologna to extend Serie A lead

Pobega put Bologna ahead with just nine minutes on the clock, curling a left-footed shot inside the post, and the Renato Dall'Ara began dreaming of an upset. But Internazionale answered with everything it had and walked away with a 1-3 win, completing a comeback at the home of the league's bottom side... well, actually the team sitting 14th in Serie A.

Pobega's goal was a statement of intent from the home side: a low left-footed finish from inside the box, assisted by Juan Miranda, that stunned the visitors in an opening spell where Bologna had shown real courage. The trouble for the hosts was that Inter didn't take long to respond. Before halftime, in the 43rd minute, Marcus Thuram headed home the equalizer off a cross from Nicolò Barella, and the match went into the break tied 1-1 after a back-and-forth first half in which Tommaso Pobega had even rattled the crossbar.

The second half told a different story. In the 68th minute, fresh off the bench, Carlos Augusto slotted home a close-range left-footed finish to make it 1-2, set up by Piotr Zielinski. And in case any doubt remained, in the 82nd minute Carlos Augusto turned provider himself, teeing up Ange-Yoan Bonny, also a substitute, to finish with his right foot and seal the final 1-3.

A dominance reflected in the numbers

The match statistics make clear why the result played out the way it did. Internazionale controlled possession, created more clear chances and was sharper in nearly every category.

According to our post-match xG estimate based on the shots taken in the game, Internazionale generated 3.726 expected goals against Bologna's 1.363, a gap that lines up with what ultimately happened on the scoreboard: Cristian Chivu's side was clearly superior in both volume and quality of chances, despite the early scare.

Before kickoff, our projection gave Internazionale a 51% chance of winning, compared to 23% for Bologna and 26% for a draw, with an expected goals estimate of 1.78 for the visitors and 1.13 for the home side. The final result, with three goals for Inter and one for Bologna, ended up matching that forecast, though the path there had more twists than expected, with the home side striking first and holding on until the end of the first half.

What the match leaves behind

Internazionale came into the match as leaders with 19 points from 7 games played, and the win at the Dall'Ara stretches the gap over Bologna to 14 points, with the home side stuck on just 5 points from 7 matches, with 1 win, 2 draws and 4 losses so far this Serie A season. For Raffaele Palladino's side, Pobega's goal will be remembered as a nine-minute dream that Inter's superiority eventually snuffed out, with substitutes Carlos Augusto and Bonny proving decisive. For Internazionale, it was yet another sign that even when things get complicated early, this team has the tools to flip the script and keep collecting three points at the top of the table.