Playing a Serie A match on Easter Sunday for the first time since 1978, Bologna were looking to stay in the hunt for a top four finish that would secure UEFA Champions League football for next season, but knew their task would be far from straightforward against the league leaders.
And it was title-chasing Inter who created the first opportunity with four minutes on the clock, when a corner picked out Carlos Augusto, who headed just wide of the right post.
In truth, the first half lacked any real quality from an attacking perspective, with both teams only managing two shots on target between them.
The visitors appealed for a penalty shortly after the half-hour mark when Nicola Barella went down inside the area, but their protests were waved away as a low-key opening 45 minutes played out.
Inter’s first-half shutout was unsurprising, as they had conceded a first-half goal in only one of their last 13 Serie A away games prior to kickoff. However, their attack remained below-par after half-time, and not even the dismissal of home manager Vincenzo Italiano near the hour mark could spur them on in any visible way.
For their part, Bologna continued to battle away admirably against one of their least-favourite opponents – only Juventus had beaten Bologna more often than Inter in Serie A before today.
But this always seemed destined to be a frustrating afternoon for Simone Inzaghi’s men as they struggled to break down the home defence. And that proved costly with virtually the final kick of the evening, when Orsolini found space in the box from a lofted pass and landed the perfect scissor-kick goal into the Inter net.
With Orsolini's late heroics, Bologna are very much still in touch with Juventus and Atalanta above them, the latter of whom play AC Milan in tonight's late kick-off. Meanwhile, Inter remain level at the top alongside Napoli with five games of the season remaining.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Francesco Acerbi (Inter Milan)
