Bologna 2, Inter 4 (September 1997)
Ronaldo and Roberto Baggio face off for the first time in this soggy early-season Serie A classic.
INTER ARRIVED IN BOLOGNA as the biggest attraction in Italy. They had just signed Ronaldo from Barcelona for a world-record €26.5 million, adding the Brazilian hotshot to a side that already boasted Italy's No. 1 shot-stopper, Gianluca Pagliuca, along with defensive powerhouse Giuseppe Bergomi, future captain Javier Zanetti, midfield engine Diego Simeone, and French artist Youri Djorkaeff. Inter had missed out on the Serie A title the season prior and were heading for a decade without a championship. The time to win was now.
Bologna's squad was much more utilitarian. But Baggio brightened things up. He joined the Rossoblu that summer after losing his place in AC Milan's squad. All he wanted was playing time before the 1998 World Cup. At time of such uncertainty, with Juventus and Milan bailing on a once-in-a-generation player, Bologna seemed like the most realistic spot for him to get regular minutes.
The lineups
What the pregame formations looked like.
Bologna manager Renzo Ulivieri and Inter coach Luigi Simoni opt for a three-man defense and two-striker system. Nigerian star Taribo West, with blue-tinted dreadlocks, starts in a hybrid defensive midfield role that gives him the freedom to go left and right. Maurizio Ganz partners Ronaldo up top and promises to do the defensive work his prodigious teammate has much less interest in doing.
The match
Reviewing the most important plays, including notes about the teams and players in action. You can watch the game here.