Perisic races beyond the halfway line on the counter attack. He tries a very early cross for the run of Eder but it is easily headed away by Gonzalez.
90' +5
A. Masina goes off after a red card!
Adam Masina receives a straight red card for a foul on Lopez, with the card being awarded after the referee used the VAR to make his decision.
90' +1
Bologna have the ball on the edge of the Inter box but they cannot find a way through. It is eventually cleared and that could very well be their last opportunity.
90'
The fourth official has indicated four minutes of additional time.
89'
Rafinha looks to find his way towards the corner flag and kill a bit of time for Inter. He earns his side a free kick just outside the Bologna box.
86'
Close! Bologna haven't given up yet and a headed interception falls kindly to Palacio, who races into the box and fires a low effort towards goal. Handanovic reacts well to save with his left foot before being headed clear.
84'
Very little in the way of attacking play from either side in these last 10 minutes or so and this game looks to be fizzling out. As it stands, Karamoh's excellent strike will be the goal to seal the three points for the home side.
80'
D. D'Ambrosio gets yellow.
F. Avenatti enters the game and replaces F. Di Francesco.
Danilo D'Ambrosio is the first Inter player to receive a yellow card, bringing down Di Francesco on the right wing.
Federico Di Francesco is replaced by Felipe Avenatti.
79'
Bologna enjoying a spell of possession as they look to work an opening behind the Inter defence. The home side are happy to camp in their own half and just shut out the space though.
76'
Just under 15 minutes left and that red card seems to have killed the competitive edge Bologna had. Inter are in total control now and it is hard to see a way back into this game for the away side.
Minute
Description
73'
R. Gagliardini enters the game and replaces Y. Karamoh.
Yann Karamoh is off to a standing ovation after his excellent goal to restore Inter's lead. Roberto Gagliardini replaces him.
72'
V. Torosidis enters the game and replaces A. Poli.
Andrea Poli is replaced by Vassilis Torosidis for Bologna's second substitution of the afternoon.
71'
Inter in control now as Bologna ease off on the high pressing. The home side are happy to patiently move the ball around and wait for the gaps to appear.
68'
I. Mbaye gets a second yellow card and is sent off.
Ibrahima M'baye receives his second yellow card in quick succession for a poor, late challenge on Rafinha. Bologna have just over 20 minutes to find their way back into this game now with 10 men.
66'
C. Falletti enters the game and replaces R. Orsolini.
Chance! Rafinha is the creator once again, this time slotting the ball wide for Karamoh. He onle has the goalkeeper to beat but his low effort towards the far corner is well saved by Mirante. Straight up the other end and Bologna have a chance of their own, with a swerving cross being headed over the crossbar by substitute Falletti.
Riccardo Orsolini is replaced by César Falletti.
64'
I. Mbaye gets yellow.
Ibrahima M'baye is booked for a foul on D'Ambrosio.
63'
Y. Karamoh has scored a goal for Inter Milan! Assist by Rafinha.
Rafinha plays the ball to Karamoh, who unleashes a curling effort beyond the reach of Mirante.
GOAL! An absolute stunner from the teenager Yann Karamoh! Rafinha slips the ball towards the Frenchman, who shows brilliant footwork to get away from his marker before unleashing a powerful curling effort beyond the fingertips of Mirante and inside the left post. Excellent goal.
61'
Just under half an hour left to play here and it is difficult to see which way this game will go. Bologna have been second best for much of this half but as they showed in the first, they will get their chances.
58'
Rafinha enters the game and replaces M. Brozović.
Marcelo Brozović is replaced by Rafinha for Inter's second change of the afternoon.
55'
Both teams are flying forward at every opportunity here but it is Inter with the upper hand at the moment. Bologna seem a little uncertain in defence but the home side have not taken their chances so far.
53'
Another chance goes begging for Inter! An excellently whipped cross into the box is met by Perisic, who can only head over the crossbar under pressure from a defender.
52'
The free-kick is cleared away for a corner, which then causes a muddle inside the Bologna box before the referee blows for a foul by Eder on Erick Pulgar.
51'
Inter with a free-kick on the left of the box...chance?
48'
End to end stuff in these opening minutes. Substitute Lopez and Skriniar are swarmed by Bologna players at one end of the pitch before the latter hammers the ball clear. Inter are then straight up the other end, earning themselves a corner from which Danilo D'Ambrosio chipped the ball into the crossbar before Skriniar headed the loose ball wide of the goal from the edge of the six yard box.
46'
L. López enters the game and replaces Miranda.
We're back underway!
Miranda, at fault for Palacio's equaliser, is replaced by Lisandro López at the break.
45'
The fourth official has indicated one minute of additional time.
44'
Inter continue to swing the ball into the box and it is causing problem after problem for Bologna. Borja Valero has a free header but he can't generate the power to trouble Mirante. Another cross then finds Karamoh free on the edge of the box but he fails to make clean contact on the volley, rolling the ball instead into the feet of a relieved Bologna defence.
41'
Inter are ending the half strongly. Bologna are being pegged back on the edge of their own box as they fend off wave after wave of attacks.
39'
Di Francesco tries to burst his way down the left wing on the counter attack but Milan Skriniar is quickly across clear the danger.
36'
Poli's interception falls straight into the path of Perisic, who does brilliantly to beat two defenders and find his way to the byline.His cross is too close to Mirante however, who catches comfortably.
34'
Another Bologna mistake on the edge of the box and it again falls to Perisic to capitalize, but his low effort is weak, allowing Mirante to claim comfortably.
33'
Andrea Poli is dispossed in a dangerous area and Perisic latches onto the loose ball. He opts to shoot from outside the box but his low effort is far wide of the right post.
31'
Bologna are playing with confidence now. Inter are defending well but they are struggling to impose themselves on the Bologna defence at the moment.
28'
Inter with their first corner of the game and it is a very poor delivery by Cancelo, failing to beat the first man at the near post.
25'
R. Palacio has scored a goal for Bologna!
GOAL! An absolutely horrendous mistake from Miranda sees his clearance fly towards his own goal, where Rodrigo Palacio chests it down before firing a right-footed half-volley beyond Handanovic and in at the far post. Game on.
23'
Bologna have been poor in the final third so far but they finally make Handanovic work. Adam Masina's cross finds Palacio in the centre of the box and it takes a brilliant fingertip save to prevent the equaliser.
20'
R. Palacio gets yellow.
Eder is on the receiving end of a third foul in quick succession and Rodrigo Palacio becomes the first name in the referees book.
18'
Orsolini tries to push and muscle his way beyond Miranda inside the Inter box but the 33-year-old shows his experience to hold the winger off, eventually earning a free-kick.
15'
Bologna threaten down the left wing again and Ivan Perisic has to rise well at the near post to head it clear for the first corner of the game, which results in a comfortable catch for Samir Handanovic.
13'
Bologna starting to see more of the ball now but they have yet to really threaten the Inter defence so far. They are moving the ball around nicely though.
10'
Chance! Cancelo whips in a delightful cross towards the centre of the box. Brozovic has a free header but he can only power it wide of the near post with the goal at his mercy.
8'
Bologna look to work something down the left wing but the throw towards the corner flag has a little too much of it and it is out for a goal kick.
5'
Inter very much in charge in these opening minutes. They are playing with swagger and giving Bologna no time at all on the ball, pressing right up towards the centre-backs.
2'
Éder has scored a goal for Inter Milan! Assist by M. Brozović.
GOAL! Bologna have yet to touch the ball and Inter already have the lead! Great work on the left wing by Karamoh allowed Marcelo Brozovic to race to the byline and fire a low cross towards the front post, where Eder got ahead of his marker to slip the ball beyond Antonio Mirante and in at the far post. Excellent build up play by Inter.
Marcelo Brozović fires a low cross towards the front post for Eder to flick the ball beyond Mirante.
1'
We're underway! Inter kick off, going left to right.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Serie A game between Inter and Bologna at the Giuseppe Meazza.
Fourth-placed Inter have endured a miserable run of form since their 5-0 victory over Chievo in the opening week of December. The Nerazzurri have gone eight league games without a win since that victory, drawing six of those, as well as being eliminated from the Coppa Italia at the hands of local rivals AC Milan.
Luciano Spalletti’s side will be desperate to return to winning ways this afternoon in their bid to keep their fight for a top-four finish alive. They might have to find that win without the help of their top scorer Mauro Icardi, who missed last week’s draw with Crotone and could miss out again today.
Bologna are enjoying a steady campaign in Serie A this season and are comfortably mid-table, 10 points clear of the relegation places. Their recent form has been a bit patchy though, losing four of their last five games and picking up only seven points of the possible 27 available since the start of December.
These two sides played out a 1-1 draw in September’s reverse fixture and Roberto Donadoni will be expecting his side to at least match that result this afternoon. Bologna will be without club captain Simeone Verdi, who went off injured after just three minutes of play in the 3-1 defeat to Napoli. He will be joined on the side lines by goalkeeper Angelo da Costa and centre-back Simone Romagnoli.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this afternoon…
Inter XI (4-2-3-1): Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Skriniar, Miranda, Cancelo; Vecino, Valero; Karamoh, Brozovic, Perisic; Eder.
Inter make two changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Crotone last weekend, with left-back Dalbert dropping to the bench in favour of Joao Cancelo and Yann Karamoh replacing Antonio Candreva on the wing. Mauro Icardi again misses out so Eder will continue to lead the line.
For Bologna, there are three changes to the side that were beaten 2-1 by Fiorentina. Filip Helander is replaced at centre-back by Giancarlo Gonzalez, with Riccardo Orsolini and Federico Di Francesco forming a front-three alongside Rodrigo Palacio, replacing Godfred Donsah and Mattia Destro.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: INTER 1-1 BOLOGNA.
A lively and entertaining first half in which Bologna have gone toe-to-toe with their fourth-placed opponents. Inter opened the scoring after some good build up play allowed Eder flick Brozovic's low cross beyond Mirante. The home side had chances to double their lead with Brozovic missing a free header and Perisic failing to make the most of two defensive mistakes from Bologna, before Rodrigo Palacio latched onto a woeful clearance by Miranda to equalise. Neither side in the ascendancy at the break and it could swing either way in the second half.
The players are back out on the pitch, ahead of the start of the second half.
FULL-TIME: INTER 2-1 BOLOGNA.
A thoroughly entertaining game of football and Inter get their first league win since the start of December, with Yann Karamoh's stunning curling effort enough to seal the three points for the home side. Bologna pushed and pushed but could not find a way through, before Ibrahima Mbaye's second yellow card effectively killed the tie. Masina received a straight red card in the dying minutes of the game but in truth, Inter were well and truly in control.
Commentary
More…