Ten-man Bologna came out on top of an incredible match at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza as they managed to complete a second half comeback against Inter to win 2-1.
Inter looked in control and were given the chance to kill the game off, before a tactical masterclass by Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic changed everything.
The Nerazzurri went ahead midway through the first half thanks to Romelu Lukaku, though Lautaro Martinez missed a penalty just after Roberto Soriano was sent off for the visitors.
However, Musa Juwara came on after 65 minutes and was devastating. First pulling a goal back and then inspiring the eventual winner via Musa Barrow. Alessandro Bastoni was also sent off for Inter to round off a hugely disappointing afternoon.
The game was balanced in the opening stages, though despite playing in the scorching heat of Milan, Bologna tried to play an intense pressing game, something that Inter evaded by opting for quick passes and switching flanks.
Quickly, Inter’s game paid off as Lukaku had the ball in the back of the net from close range after 13 minutes, but play had been already halted as the ball hit the Belgian’s hand before the finish.
From there, the Nerazzurri controlled possession, although attentive defending by Bologna prevented Inter from creating any clear chances. However, the visitors could do nothing when Lautaro Martinez was left unmarked and met another precise cross from Ashley Young – the Argentine’s header hit the upright only for Lukaku to smash in the rebound with his 20th Serie A goal.
Young feinted a cross and opted for a solo run shortly after, cutting inside from the left and brilliantly escaping Takehiro Tomiyasu, but his curled shot was deflected by Lukas Skorupski.
Inter’s dominance continued as Lautaro expertly pulled down a Lukaku high ball and looked well positioned to double the lead, but a crucial Danilo intervention stopped the striker in his tracks.
Bologna almost caught the Nerazzurri by surprise with a lethal counter-attack that allowed Riccardo Orsolini to get one-v-one against Samir Handanovic, who did well to deflect his low attempt wide.
Musa Barrow gave Inter a major scare eight minutes into the second half, as his right-footed shot from outside the box bounced off the post, as Bologna showed that were much still in the game.
But the Felsinei’s gameplan was undone a couple of minutes later, as protests from Soriano following a challenge on Roberto Gagliardini resulted in a red card for the Bologna midfielder.
Things seemed to go from bad to worse for the visitors when Mitchell Dijks grounded Antonio Candreva in the box, leading referee Luca Pairetto to award a penalty.
Lautaro missed the chance to wrap up the game as his shot down the centre was easily parried by Skorupski, who also beat Gagliardini’s follow up away.
Substitute Juwara forced a nice save at the near post from Handanovic, but the Nerazzurri keeper was left helpless a few moments later as another powerful shot from the Gambian went in, giving Bologna a deserved equaliser.
But the 18-year-old’s terrific impact didn’t end there as he was also involved in the second red card of the afternoon, this time for Alessandro Bastoni.
This worked as a further morale boost for Bologna, and Juwara was once again involved in a quick counter attack that saw Nico Dominguez perfectly setting up Barrow, who produced a clinical finish to put the visitors ahead.
Handanovic also had to deny Svanberg shortly after, before Alexis Sanchez incredibly missed the target from close range. The Chilean had another huge chance in the final moments, but Skorupski produced another decisive save.
