Under Pressure, Inter Milan Are Increasingly Brilliant

MILAN, MONDAY – Starting the closing match of the 18th week against Bologna on Monday (5/1/2026 WIB), having slipped to third place ignited the competitive spirit of the Inter Milan squad. They secured a 3-1 victory at the San Siro Stadium. This result was sufficient to bring "I Nerazzurri" back to the top of the temporary standings.

Bologna arrived at San Siro with a record of three consecutive victories against Inter. This includes the success of "I Veltri" in eliminating Inter in the semifinals of the Supercoppa Italiana in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last December.

However, the Inter side facing Bologna in Milan had a different outlook. They appeared with a burning desire to maintain their title of capolista, or top of the table. Prior to the match, AC Milan and Napoli had joined Inter thanks to wins over the past two days.

Inter pressed from the start. They launched a barrage of attacks, relying on the creativity of deep-lying playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu and the offensive power of their wing-back duo, Luis Henrique on the right and Federico Dimarco on the left.

The goal that the home team had been waiting for was created through a rocket shot by midfielder Pioter Zielinski in the 39th minute. The precise strike from outside the penalty area concluded the attacking scheme of Inter, which started from a foul committed by a Bologna player in front of Inter's penalty area.

Five Inter players were involved in the process leading to the goal. It started with Yann Bisseck, the defender, followed by Henrique, and then the combination of the striking duo, Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez, who created space for Zielinski to take a shot from approximately 20 meters away from the Bologna goal.

In the second half, Inter was able to perform more clinically by maximizing two corner kicks to conquer Bologna's goalkeeper, Federico Ravaglia. Martinez doubled Inter's advantage with a header that met Calhanoglu's corner kick in the 48th minute.

With that goal, Martinez cemented his position as Serie A's top scorer with 10 goals. The Inter captain is in hot form, scoring six goals in five consecutive matches for the Nerazzurri.

I am happy for all my teammates because we have worked hard together to bring Inter back to the top.

In the 74th minute, it was Thuram's turn to capitalize on a corner situation. The French national team forward used his shoulder to redirect the ball, deceiving Ravaglia. For Thuram, it was a consecutive goal against Bologna after scoring in the Italian Super Cup.

One consolation goal for Bologna was scored by forward Santiago Castro, seven minutes before the end of normal time in the second half. The goal was initiated by an indirect free kick taken by Bologna in Inter's defensive area.

Castro caused Inter to fail to match the number of matches without conceding goals held by AC Milan and Lazio, who are the duo teams with the best defense. Inter has only gone through eight matches without conceding, while Milan and Lazio have not conceded in nine games.

Nevertheless, Inter is able to hold the first position in the Italian League with a total of 39 points. They are followed by Milan (38 points) and Napoli (37 points).

Martinez stated that Inter's game plan is proceeding well against Bologna. The main objective for Inter, he continued, is to not allow Bologna to dominate possession for long, and then to launch vertical attacks immediately.

"We're happy to get the three points, which are always important for us. I'm happy for all my teammates because we've worked hard together to get Inter back to the top. It's what we wanted," Martinez said after the match, as reported by Corriere dello Sport.

Inter learned from their mistakes in Riyadh, where their performance declined in the second half, while also improving their attacking effectiveness. The dominance in play, with 58 percent ball possession, was underscored by 11 shots on target.

One thing that prevented Inter from winning by a bigger margin was Ravaglia's brilliant performance. The goalkeeper, who was trained at Bologna Primavera, made seven saves, preventing 0.12 expected goals against (xGA).

The accuracy of Inter's shots has significantly improved compared to their first duel in the Italian Super Cup. The percentage of on-target shots by Inter compared to total shots reached 48 percent. This is an improvement over the 21 percent accuracy of shots on goal in Riyadh.

"Our efforts are going well in the final third of their defense. We know that facing Bologna is not easy, and we must be prepared to endure," said Zielinski.

Meanwhile, Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano failed to find an antidote to Inter's effective vertical play and wide play. I Veltri only created two dangerous chances in each half.

Forward, Jens Odgaard, had an opportunity in front of Inter's goal in the 33rd minute. His header went wide to the left side of the goal guarded by Yann Sommer. Referring to the position and quality of the chance, it was Bologna's first opportunity with a goal potential of 12 percent.

After conceding three goals, Bologna was only able to create a chance that resulted in a single goal from Castro. Aside from those two opportunities, Bologna failed to pose any significant threat to Inter's disciplined defense. As a result, Bologna extended their winless streak to four matches in Serie A.

"There's no time to regret this result. We have to think and prepare for Wednesday's match (against Atalanta). It's a crucial match to keep our hopes of qualifying for Europe alive," said Castro, the 21-year-old Argentine striker, as reported by Sky Sport Italia. (AFP)