BOLOGNA, Italy — Runaway Serie A leaders Inter Milan continued their march towards the title as a first-half goal by Yann Bisseck sealed a 1-0 victory over Bologna.
Inter moved on to 75 points and an 18-point lead over second-placed Juventus. Bologna is fourth on 51 points after 28 games.
Simone Inzaghi’s Inter has won all 13 competitive matches this year and suffered only one league loss all season, Reuters reported.
Inter broke the deadlock after 37 minutes through Bisseck’s well-timed diving header from Alessandro Bastoni’s precise cross.
Taking advantage of a defensive error at a rainy Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Inter’s Nicolo Barella had the first chance of the match, but his one-on-one attempt was saved by keeper Lukasz Skorupski.
Bologna, who had won six Serie A matches in a row, dominated the second half but failed to find the net and Inter hung on despite an injury to striker Marko Arnautovic who had to leave the field for treatment.
Star Inter forward Lautaro Martínez was given a rare rest ahead of the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday, with the Nerazzurri travelling to Atletico Madrid with a 1-0 lead.
Arnautovi´c scored the winning goal in the first leg but the former Bologna forward limped off at the end of the match against his old team with an apparent hamstring injury. He had already missed two months of the season through injury.
Inter broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when Alessandro Bastoni whipped in a fantastic cross from the left for a flying header by Bisseck at the back post.
Bologna came out aggressively at the start of the second half and Stefan Posch, Lewis Ferguson and Joshua Zirkzee all went close.
RELEGATION FIGHT
Relegation-threatened Sassuolo ended its eight-match winless run with a dramatic 1-0 win over fellow struggler Frosinone, which missed a last-gasp penalty.
Kristian Thorstvedt scored the only goal of the match in the 58th minute. Moments earlier the Sassuolo midfielder had almost given away a penalty following a challenge on Luca Mazzitelli but the referee revoked his decision after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Frosinone should have leveled right at the death when it was awarded penalty for a push by Gian Marco Ferrari on Marvin Cuni but Kaio Jorge´s spot kick brushed the outside of the left post.
Sassuolo, which had lost seven of its last eight matches, remained in penultimate position but moved to within a point of 17th-place Frosinone and safety.
Cagliari moved three points clear of the drop zone with a 4-2 win over bottom team Salernitana, which was 10 points from safety.
