Carlos’s 49 seconds, Bonny’s impact: five moments from Bologna vs. Inter

Looking back on the evening at the Dall’Ara, there are plenty of ways to tell the story of Inter’s sixth win in their opening seven league games. It would be easy to start with yet another fightback, with the spirit of a group who refuse to buckle when things get tough or they fall behind, constantly finding a way to overcome the obstacles in their path. It would be easy to praise the substitutions and the impact of those who came on, turning the game around as if by magic: just seconds to put together a beautiful, perfectly executed move, every touch precise and intelligent. Perhaps that is the key to Inter’s 3-1 win at Bologna. Timing. Marcus Thuram waited for his moment in the box, judging his steps to perfection before soaring into the air to head home Barella’s cross. Cristian Chivu and his staff sent on Carlos Augusto and Diouf, who combined in the blink of an eye to make it 2-1. Ange-Yoan Bonny went a fraction of a second too early with his first run, but he timed his second perfectly to seal victory in a testing encounter. The win took Inter top on 19 points ahead of Juventus vs. Lazio, a tally they have reached after seven games on only three other occasions in the three-points-for-a-win era (since 1994/95), following 2017/18 (19), 2002/03 (19) and 1997/98 (19). Their fourth comeback of the season brought the Nerazzurri’s haul from losing positions to ten points, the best record in Europe.

Let’s relive Bologna vs. Inter through five moments, five lasting images from matchday 7.

PIO GETS INTER MOVING

The opening 25 minutes of Bologna vs. Inter made for anxious viewing for the Nerazzurri faithful: Bologna were aggressive and organised, compact at the back and dangerous going forward. Pobega opened the scoring after ten minutes, the Dall’Ara roared the hosts on and Chivu’s side struggled to muster a response. Inter moved the ball from side to side in search of space that simply was not there, with few routes forward through the hosts’ tightly packed gold shirts.

In the 28th minute, though, came the first spark, a sign that Inter were beginning to stir. Once again, the Nerazzurri leaned on Pio Esposito: the striker dropped deep to receive the ball with his back to goal and bring his team up the pitch, an art he is mastering. He used his powerful frame to get between the ball and a familiar opponent, Matteo Darmian, leaving the defender with little choice but to bring him down. Inter had a free-kick, which Dimarco stepped up to take with his left foot. His curling delivery dropped towards the far post, where Thuram was first to the ball but side-footed his shot into the turf, sending it bouncing over the bar from close range.

It was Inter’s first big chance of the match and the moment they began to gain ground. Their passing became quicker and more expansive, forcing Bologna deeper. We did not know it yet, but the foundations were being laid for Thuram’s goal just over a quarter of an hour later.

AIR TIKUS

We mentioned timing, and that brings us back to Marcus Thuram. From the closing stages of last season to the opening weeks of this one, “decisive” has become an increasingly familiar description. But Marcus seems to have reached a new level, that of a true penalty-box predator. He keeps putting his stamp on Inter’s wins, attacking the ball with hunger and conviction and scoring important goals when it matters most.

His goal against Bologna was his fourth of the league campaign, from four starts and two substitute appearances against Cagliari and Napoli. It was a hugely important strike, arriving in the 44th minute of a testing first half and transforming the mood as Inter headed into the break. It combined raw power with grace, the ferocity of the header matched by the elegance of his movement and finish. Back to that timing. The goal came at the end of a long, almost exhausting spell of Inter possession: a succession of quick, short passes eventually freed Barella down the right. Thuram was standing still in the box, but the moment the ball reached yesterday’s captain, he had already read what was coming. A few short steps took him away from his marker, his eyes fixed on the ball as he judged the cross. He counted his steps, counted the seconds: Barella whipped in the delivery, and Thuram had calculated everything perfectly. He launched himself into the air and expertly steered his header into the net.

A wonderful goal, and a crucial one, but Marcus did not celebrate: he ran straight back to the centre circle, his expression serious, without so much as a smile. His message was clear: the job was not done. Inter got the message and stepped up a gear after the break, soaring towards victory just as Thuram had soared to meet that cross. Headed goals are becoming a trademark: he has scored six since the start of last season, a tally matched only by Mateo Pellegrino. Since April, he has registered ten goals and five assists, a return matched only by Lamine Yamal across Europe’s top five leagues.

TIME FOR CHANGES

After Inter’s equaliser late in the first half, the game took on a different complexion after the break. The Nerazzurri upped the pressure, moved the ball with greater urgency and pushed Bologna deeper into their own half. Chances and promising openings followed, but that final moment of quality needed to take the lead was still missing. That was when Chivu turned to his bench. Carlos Augusto and Bonny both made the same point after the match: “There are 25 quality players in this squad, and we all want to be ready to help Inter win.” Kolarov echoed that message: “We don’t have a set starting XI. We have players who can make a difference at any moment.” Those words were borne out on the pitch, where the impact of Inter’s substitutes at the Dall’Ara was nothing short of devastating: Carlos Augusto delivered a goal and an assist, Bonny found the net and Diouf supplied a crucial through ball in the move that made it 2-1. Calhanoglu and Mkhitaryan, meanwhile, were the architects of the third goal. These moments once again underlined the team’s strength and understanding, but also the “heart and desire to win games”, to quote Carlos Augusto again, that ultimately made the difference.

CARLOS’S 49 SECONDS

The clock on the Dall’Ara’s big screen read 68:15 when Carlos Augusto, who had come on just ten seconds earlier, took his first touch. Chivu had just introduced him and Diouf to provide more attacking impetus down the flanks, with Palladino’s side sitting deep in their own half. The Brazilian’s first touch was a simple pass back to Akanji. He then pushed forward into an advanced position down the left. Play developed on the opposite flank before moving infield, where Bisseck quickened the tempo: a direct pass into Bonny, a first-time lay-off to Sucic, then another forward pass to Thuram, who turned and played it wide towards Zielinski and Diouf. Piotr left it for Andy and made a run into the right-hand side of the box. The Frenchman spotted him, shaped to shoot with his left foot and then slipped the ball through to the Pole, who looked up and across the area. There was Carlos Augusto, completely unmarked near the six-yard box. He had followed the move and cut inside, hoping for precisely this kind of opening. Zielinski’s low cross arrived right on cue, and Carlos’s tap-in provided the perfect finish to a wonderful move. The clock read 68:54: just 39 seconds had passed between his first and second touches, 49 since he had stepped onto the pitch. Forty-nine seconds to turn the game around and put Inter in front. A third goal of the season, physical sharpness, quick thinking and a hunger to win. It all added up to three letters: MVP.

BONNY SEALS IT

You wonder what went through Ange-Yoan Bonny’s mind when he saw the freeze-frame showing why his goal to make it 3-1 had been ruled out for offside. His head and shoulder were just a few centimetres beyond the line. The finest of margins. His run in behind the defence had been well timed, the dribble and finish spot on. None of it counted, but Bonny did not dwell on it. Positive and confident, he waited for his moment, just as he has throughout the opening weeks of the season. Always ready to come on and make his mark, through his work for the team as much as his goals. Drifting wide to take on his man, pressing opponents, winning the ball back, battling with defenders and giving everything, safe in the knowledge that the goals will come. He had opened his account late on against Udinese and given Inter a lifeline in stoppage time against Club Brugge.

That same positive attitude was seen at the Dall’Ara. His first goal had been ruled out, so he simply went again: another textbook Inter move, sparked by Calhanoglu’s first-time diagonal pass that switched play from right to left. Mkhitaryan’s first touch made the difference, giving him a crucial moment’s advantage over his marker and allowing the Armenian to release Carlos Augusto on the overlap with a perfectly weighted pass. The Brazilian looked up and saw Bonny waiting at the far post, behind the last defender. This time, his run was timed to perfection, Carlos’s cross was spot on and Ange only had to tap it home. Bonny ran to embrace Carlos, the bench rose to their feet and everyone headed for the corner flag. A group hug, the game wrapped up, another three points in the bag.