Bologna and Inter closed the season with a 3:3 draw in the highest-scoring match of the round
Bologna and Inter played the 38th-round Serie A match on 23 May 2026 at the Renato Dall'Ara Stadium in Bologna, and it ended 3:3. It was a duel without a direct title battle, but with enough rhythm, turnarounds and individual quality to mark the closing stage of the league season. According to Sofascore data, the match began at 16:00 UTC, or 18:00 Central European Summer Time, and ended with the points shared after six goals. Inter entered the match as already confirmed champions of Italy, while Bologna were closing the season in mid-table, without a chance of qualifying for European competitions. Despite that, the match did not have the character of an exhibition game because both teams played openly and offensively in certain periods.
The most efficient football duel of the final round was opened by Federico Dimarco with a free-kick goal in the 22nd minute. Bologna quickly responded through Federico Bernardeschi, who equalised at 1:1 in the 25th minute, and the home team turned the result around before the break with a goal by Tommaso Pobega in the 42nd minute. At the beginning of the second half, Bologna's lead grew to 3:1 after an own goal by Piotr Zielinski in the 48th minute. Inter, however, did not fall apart after going two goals behind. Francesco Pio Esposito reduced the deficit in the 64th minute, and Andy Diouf set the final 3:3 in the 86th minute and prevented the reigning champions from losing in their final league appearance of the season.
Dimarco's goal opened the match, Bologna responded quickly
The first half offered content that largely set the tone for the entire match. Inter took the lead in the 22nd minute through Dimarco, who, according to an Associated Press report published in The Washington Post, had been presented shortly before the match as the winner of the league award for most valuable player. His free-kick goal was one of the most striking moments of the match: the ball finished in the top corner of the home goal from about 25 metres. That detail further underlined his season in which, according to the same report, he had been involved in a large number of Inter goals and was one of the more important players in Cristian Chivu's team. For Inter, it was an ideal start to their final league appearance.
Bologna did not remain behind on the scoreboard for long. Just three minutes later, Bernardeschi scored for 1:1 and brought the match back into balance. After the equaliser, the home team did not merely wait for the end of the half, but continued to look for space against a significantly changed Inter line-up. In the 42nd minute, Pobega scored for 2:1, and according to the Associated Press report his shot changed direction on its way to the net after a deflection. That goal came at a moment when Bologna managed to exploit the space between Inter's lines and turn more open play into a lead.
At half-time, Bologna led 2:1, which was especially important given the psychological context of the match. Inter had already secured the title, but in the closing stage of a season teams that have mathematically achieved their main objective often try to avoid the impression of relaxation. Bologna, on the other hand, were not playing for a European position, but in front of their own fans they had the chance to conclude the season with a win against the champions. That is precisely why Pobega's goal carried more than just a change in the score. It gave the hosts energy and opened the question for the visitors of how strongly they would react after the break.
Zielinski's own goal and Inter's comeback from behind
The start of the second half brought an additional blow for Inter. In the 48th minute, Piotr Zielinski diverted the ball into his own net, giving Bologna a 3:1 lead. According to the match chronology published by Sofascore, the own goal came only a few minutes after the return from the dressing rooms, in a period in which Inter had to try to stabilise the match. Instead, the hosts gained a two-goal advantage and a real possibility of inflicting defeat on the champions in the final league round. At that moment, the match seemed clearer in terms of the score than it truly was.
Inter's reaction showed the depth of the squad and the competitive reflex of a team that had already secured the title earlier. In the 54th minute, Chivu turned to substitutions, and according to Sofascore's match flow Luis Henrique, Ange-Yoan Bonny and Henrikh Mkhitaryan came on instead of Dimarco, Lautaro Martinez and Nicolo Barella. Those changes did not immediately turn the match around, but they gave Inter new energy in the final third of the pitch. The visitors gradually reduced Bologna's pressure and began creating situations in which they could make use of the individual quality of their forwards and midfielders.
In the 64th minute, Francesco Pio Esposito made it 3:2. Associated Press states that the goal came after the ball rebounded from the post following an attempt by Andy Diouf, and Esposito followed the move and converted the rebound into a goal. That goal changed the dynamic of the closing stages because Bologna suddenly had to defend a narrow lead instead of a comfortable advantage. Inter received an additional boost, while the hosts began to feel the pressure of a match that, despite the absence of a direct competitive imperative, had turned into a test of concentration and character.
The equaliser arrived in the 86th minute, when Diouf scored for 3:3. According to Sofascore, the assist was provided by Luka Topalović, who came into the game in the closing stages of the match. Diouf thus first took part in the move for Esposito's goal in the same half, and then completed Inter's comeback himself. For the champions, that was an important symbolic detail: even in a match in which some key players were rested, and the score was unfavourable at one point, the team found enough quality to come back. Bologna, meanwhile, were left without a victory after having led 3:1, but they played a match that offered much more than a routine closing of the season.
A changed Inter in the closing stage of a championship season
Inter played in Bologna as a team that had already completed the most important task of the season. The club officially confirmed its 21st Italian championship title on 3 May 2026 with a 2:0 win against Parma, Inter announced on its official website. That title was secured three rounds before the end of the league, and with that the closing stage of Serie A took on a different character for the Milan club. Instead of fighting for every point in the title race, the priority became managing minutes, preserving freshness and giving opportunities to players who had played a smaller role during the season. That is why the draw against Bologna should also be viewed through the broader context of Inter's already completed league objective.
According to the Associated Press report, coach Cristian Chivu gave additional rest to players preparing for the World Cup, among whom Hakan Calhanoglu, Manuel Akanji, Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries were listed. Lautaro Martinez still started the match because he had recently returned from injury and needed competitive minutes. Such an approach explains why Inter did not look like a completely standard line-up, but also why the match had a more open rhythm. Changes in the line-up often bring a lack of automatisms, and against an opponent like Bologna that can lead to a greater number of chances on both sides.
Inter's Serie A season was marked by continuity, efficiency and the ability to control the result even when the performance was not at the highest level. After the title was won, The Guardian highlighted that Chivu had justified the trust placed in him in his first season on the bench and that Inter had reached the title dominantly, with notable squad depth and attacking efficiency. The draw in Bologna did not change that conclusion, but it showed another side of the season's closing stage: after a major objective, it is difficult to maintain the same intensity and the same level of defensive discipline. Still, the comeback from 1:3 to 3:3 showed that the team's competitive structure remained present.
Bologna without Europe, but with a match that showed attacking potential
For Bologna, the match had a different meaning. According to the Associated Press report, the home team no longer had the possibility of securing qualification for European competitions ahead of the final round. Such a status could have led to an indifferent performance, but Bologna played bravely and directly against the champions. Three goals scored against Inter, even if one was an opponent's own goal, show that the hosts knew how to exploit space and moments of uncertainty in the visiting defence. Bernardeschi and Pobega gave the match a home rhythm, and the 3:1 lead in the early phase of the second half confirmed that Bologna were not merely spectators of Inter's season celebration.
Despite that, the closing stage also revealed weaknesses. The goals conceded in the 64th and 86th minutes showed that Bologna failed to control the match after having a two-goal lead. Against Inter, such a drop in concentration comes at a high price, even when the visiting team are not in their strongest line-up. From a match like this, the home coach and staff could have taken two kinds of messages. One is positive, because Bologna managed to create and convert chances against the champions. The other is a warning, because the team did not close out a match in which it had a very favourable scoreline.
After the match, Sofascore listed Bologna in eighth place and Inter in first, which further illustrates the difference in the seasonal achievements of the two teams. Bologna remained in the zone of stable top-flight status, but without a final step towards Europe. Such an outcome does not diminish the value of individual good matches, but it raises the question of consistency. The encounter with Inter showed that Bologna can play openly against the strongest sides, but also that for a higher level they need matches in which a lead does not remain only an impression, but is turned into a victory.
A match that summed up the closing stage of Serie A
The 3:3 draw in Bologna fitted into the closing stage of Serie A in which some key outcomes were already known, while others were being decided in the remaining matches of the final round. Associated Press reported that most of the rest of the 38th round was scheduled for 24 May 2026, with several clubs fighting for places leading to the Champions League and others fighting to avoid relegation. In that context, Bologna - Inter was not the match with the greatest table stakes, but it was one of the most attractive in terms of content. Six goals, a home-team turnaround and the champions' comeback from a two-goal deficit offered a summary of everything final rounds often bring: fewer calculations, more space and a larger number of situations in front of goal.
For Inter, the draw was the final point of a league campaign in which the title had been secured before the last round. For Bologna, it was a performance that could simultaneously leave satisfaction because of the brave display and regret because of the missed victory. Dimarco's free kick, Bernardeschi's quick response, Pobega's turnaround, Zielinski's unfortunate own goal and Diouf's late strike shaped a match that had clear dramaturgy. The 3:3 result was therefore not just a statistical item from the 38th round, but also a fitting ending to two different seasonal stories. One belonged to Inter as champions, and the other to Bologna as a team that showed enough quality against the champions to make the match uncertain until the end.
Sources:
- Sofascore – match flow, result, scorers, date, time and stadium of the Bologna - Inter match (link)
- Washington Post / Associated Press – report on the Bologna - Inter 3:3 match and the broader context of the final Serie A round (link)
- Inter – official announcement on winning the 21st Italian championship title with victory against Parma (link)
- The Guardian – analysis of Inter's championship season under Cristian Chivu (link)