The Lead Is Simple
MILAN — Inter Milan midfielder Federico Dimarco celebrated his Serie A MVP award by scoring a stunning free kick in a 3-3 draw against Bologna on Saturday in the season finale.
The Nerazzurri had already secured the league title and the Italian Cup, rendering the result meaningless for Inter. Bologna similarly had nothing to play for, with no chance of qualifying for Europe.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
The Detail That Matters
Dimarco was presented with his MVP award just before kickoff and opened the scoring with a 25-yard free kick into the top right corner. Federico Bernardeschi leveled three minutes later, and Bologna took the lead shortly before halftime through Tommaso Pobega's volley.
Inter goalkeeper Piotr Zieliński turned a cross into his own net early in the second half, but Pio Esposito reduced the deficit in the 64th minute after Andy Diouf's effort bounced off the post. Diouf added his own goal in the 86th minute.
The Road From Here
Inter coach Cristian Chivu granted an extra week off to players heading to the World Cup: Hakan Calhanoglu, Manuel Akanji, Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries. Captain Lautaro Martínez started as the Argentina forward needed playing time after returning from injury.