Inter Milan beat Bologna 2-1 to move provisionally 4th in Serie A

Milan: Inter Milan beat Bologna 2-1 to move provisionally a point above Fiorentina into fourth place in Serie A on Saturday and maintain their bid for the final Champions League spot.

Bologna were the only team in Serie A not to have conceded a goal from a corner this season but it did so twice in four minutes.

Danilo D'Ambrosio headed a corner goalward and Ivan Perisic nodded the ball in from almost on the goal-line to give Inter the lead in the 72nd minute.

D'Ambrosio volleyed in the second goal, and substitute Franco Brienza netted a consolation in the final minute.

Adem Ljajic also hit the post for Inter in the first half.

Fiorentina plays Hellas Verona on Sunday, while third-place Roma — which is two points above Inter — visits Udinese. Inter visits Roma in a crucial match next weekend.

Inter will be without captain Mauro Icardi, who limped off in the ninth minute after injuring his knee when sliding in to try and intercept Eder's angled drive.

Fellow forward Rodrigo Palacio will also miss that match through suspension after receiving a fifth yellow card for time-wasting.

"(The attack) worries me now," Inter coach Roberto Mancini said. "It was important to win today, but there are still a lot of points, anything can happen from now until the end.

"We knew it would be a difficult match, because Bologna is in good form ... I'm happy, even though we made life difficult for ourselves at the end, but evidently that's how we are. Inter likes suffering right until the end."

Bologna also lost their key striker moments later when Mattia Destro — who was a member of Inter's youth team — went off with an injured foot.

Earlier, Empoli snatched a 1-1 draw against Sampdoria.

Fabio Quagliarella looked to have given Sampdoria the win with an effort which was deflected in by Vincent Laurini shortly before halftime.

However, Empoli rescued a point when Laurini redeemed himself eight minutes from time, rushing in at the far post to head in Mario Rui's free kick from the edge of the right side of the area.

It was the defender's first goal in professional football.

Empoli had a goal disallowed and also hit the post in the first half.