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There was an early scare at Bologna, but Inter emerged 3-1 winners with Diego Milito, Mario Balotelli and Esteban Cambiasso despite Douglas Maicon's red card.
Mario Balotelli started despite another row with Jose Mourinho, as he scored the winner against Bologna back in February. Wesley Sneijder and Davide Santon were out for the visitors, while Massimo Mutarelli and Moras were on the Bologna treatment table.
There was an early scare when Emiliano Viviano weakly parried a Cristian Chivu snapshot, but Esteban Cambiasso and Balotelli were unable to make the most of the loose ball. The Bologna goalkeeper, who is co-owned by Inter, was more secure on Thiago Motta's header from a corner.
The Nerazzurri broke through from a set play. The corner was knocked back into the centre by Lucio for Diego Milito to spin round and volley from six yards. The Bologna defence was very static and allowed the Inter stars to move relatively undisturbed.
The lead didn't last long, as less than 30 seconds later the Rossoblu equalised! Marcelo Zalayeta trapped a long Martins Adailton ball with his right foot between the two centrebacks, drew Julio Cesar out and smashed it into the top corner with his left.
Viviano pushed a Dejan Stankovic deflected snapshot wide of the near post.
Balotelli somehow failed to score on 29 minutes, as he sprung the offside trap and was one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Viviano held his ground and narrowed the angle, so as SuperMario hesitated it allowed him to save at the near post.
Valiani charged down a Milito strike from just inside the area, while at the other end Marco Di Vaio was stopped for a debatable offside position.
Inter had an extraordinary chance on 36 minutes! Thiago Motta threaded through for Stankovic from eight yards whose daisy-cutter hit the inside of the upright, went across the face of goal and hit the other post, then Viviano flung himself on top of the ball before Esteban Cambiasso could bundle it over from a yard!
Balotelli was foolishly booked for clipping Andrea Raggi's heels and Julio Cesar smothered a Roberto Guana effort.
Balotelli made up for that earlier mistake by restoring Inter's lead just shy of the break. He rose above the crowd to nod in another corner kick from six yards. Once again, Mourinho's men pounced from a dead ball situation.
Samuel Eto'o replaced Balotelli for the second half, but Bologna went close when Adailton robbed Thiago Motta and his shot was deflected wide. The substitute cut back from the byline for Milito and Viviano got a fingertip to it to turn the fierce strike on to the crossbar.
Stankovic's half-volley was beaten away at the near post by Viviano, then Nicola Mingazzini bravely prevented Milito from nodding in a loose ball from six yards.
Inter were pushing and made it 3-1 with a well-worked move. Milito sprung the offside trap but was isolated, so he got to the byline and chipped it back to the other edge of the six-yard box for Cambiasso's angled drive back across the face of goal.
Daniel Pablo Osvaldo hit the side-netting from a tight angle, but Inter ended the game with 10 men when Douglas Maicon saw red in stoppages. The Brazilian was penalised for dissent and video evidence shows he swore at the official twice. It means Maicon will be suspended for the next game against Fiorentina.
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