The key facts

  • Inter beat Bologna 3:1 and moved three points clear of Lazio
  • Roma beat Genoa 2:0 and moved into second place
  • Venice beat Napoli 1:0; De Bruyne missed a penalty

Inter come from behind and stay top

Inter Milan on Saturday, October 17, in the seventh round of Serie A beat Bologna away 3:1 and continue to lead the standings. Bologna opened the scoring in the 10th minute: Tommaso Pobega won the ball from Luis Henrique and beat goalkeeper Giuseppe Martinez. In the 40th minute Pobega hit the crossbar. Inter equalized in the 44th minute — Marcus Thuram headed in a cross from Nicolo Barella. In the 69th minute substitute Carlos Augusto finished off a cutback from Piotr Zielinski, and in the 83rd minute Ange-Yoan Bonny tapped in after a cross from Augusto — his earlier goal had been disallowed. According to Anadolu, Inter have 19 points from seven matches and lead Lazio by three points; Bologna have five points.

Criticism after the Champions League defeat

AFP notes that Inter came under criticism after a disappointing midweek Champions League defeat to Club Brugge — 4:3 according to AFP. Assistant head coach Alessandro Kolarov told DAZN: 'Our strength is in the group and the quality of the players. We don't need to prove anything to anyone except ourselves. We want to be more intense with and without the ball.' According to AFP, head coach Cristian Chivu was reported to have lost his voice. Inter were without their injured captain and top scorer Lautaro Martinez, who is out for a month. Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski made a save from a Francesco Pio Esposito shot. On Wednesday Inter will host Shakhtar in the Champions League.

Roma beat Genoa and move into second place

Roma beat Genoa 2:0 at the Stadio Olimpico and with 17 points sit in second place, two points behind the leader. Lazio can catch Inter if they beat Juventus in Turin on Sunday. Three days after, according to AFP, Roma let slip a 3:1 lead in their Champions League match against Real Madrid, losing 4:3 late on, the team responded with a confident performance. Without suspended top scorer Donyell Malen and with several players injured, Roma's youngsters seized their chance: Santiago Castro and Emanuele Lulli scored their first goals for the club. Castro opened the scoring in the 50th minute with a neat feint in the box, and Lulli sealed the result with a close-range strike. Genoa coach Daniele De Rossi, a former Roma player and coach, received a warm reception from the stands, while Gian Piero Gasperini earned his 300th win in Serie A as a coach.

Venice sensationally beat Napoli

Napoli suffered a sensational 0:1 defeat to strugglers Venice. Venice's new coach Davide Nicola, appointed during the week in place of the dismissed Giovanni Stroppa, made a winning debut: Acor Adams scored in the 49th minute after a long deflected pass past Alex Meret. It was Venice's first win over Napoli in Serie A since 1942 and the team's first points of the season after six games without a point. Kevin De Bruyne failed to convert a penalty won by Rasmus Hojlund: goalkeeper Filip Stankovic, son of former Inter midfielder Dejan Stankovic, saved the kick and made several important saves late on, including against Stanislav Lobotka and Alisson Santos. It was Napoli's second straight defeat after their Champions League exit to Villarreal, and for the first time in 25 years the team have lost five of their first nine matches in all competitions. Napoli are ninth with 10 points, Venice are last with three. 'There are moments like this in football, and there is only one way out: keep working seriously and professionally, be more focused and turn this disappointment into anger,' coach Massimiliano Allegri said at a press conference. On Tuesday Napoli will host Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League.