Inter returned to the top of Serie A with a nervy 2-0 win at bottom side Venezia in the first midweek round of the season on 28 October, while a Samuel Mbangula hat-trick gave Bologna a 4-2 win at San Siro and inflicted a first league defeat of the season on Milan, according to The Guardian.
The champions moved level with Lazio on 25 points at the summit.
Venezia undone in two minutes
Venezia have collected just three points this season, yet The Guardian judged them the likelier side to break the deadlock. Last season's Serie B champions had already stunned Napoli on new coach Davide Nicola's debut, and another upset looked possible until late on, when Matias Moreno and Redouane Halhal diverted dangerous deliveries into their own net within two minutes of each other. Inter went top; Venezia stayed rooted to the bottom.
Mbangula's night at San Siro
Ruben Amorim was without injured players including Adrien Rabiot, Diego Moreira and Mario Gila, and left Christian Pulisic and Luka Modric on the bench. How the goals went, according to The Guardian:
| Moment | Milan - Bologna |
|---|---|
| Inside eight minutes, Samuel Mbangula opens the scoring | 0-1 |
| Alphadjo Cisse punishes an Arthur Theate error | 1-1 |
| 27th minute, Cisse volleys in a Fikayo Tomori cross | 2-1 |
| Second half, Davide Bartesaghi turns a free-kick into his own net | 2-2 |
| Just after the hour, Mbangula controls and finishes | 2-3 |
| Four minutes from time, Mbangula completes his hat-trick | 2-4 |
The 22-year-old Mbangula, making his first start for Bologna, beat Mike Maignan three times. Bologna recorded back-to-back wins for the first time this season and rose to 11th on 11 points, while teenager Cisse's double was not enough to protect Milan's unbeaten record.
Elsewhere, struggling Parma and Udinese drew 0-0 after Maduka Okoye saved a penalty from Adrian Bernabe. Also on 28 October Italian time, Juventus played at Genoa and Napoli at Monza; The Guardian's round-up did not include those results.
Elsewhere in Europe
In the German Cup round of 32, Deniz Undav struck in the 90th minute to give Stuttgart, finalists in 2025, a 1-0 win at Paderborn, who had been down to 10 men since Laurin Curda's red card in the 37th minute. Japan forward Keisuke Goto scored twice in the final 15 minutes as Freiburg came from 2-1 down to beat Wolfsburg 3-2; his Japan teammate Kento Shiogai also scored twice, and Igor Matanovic opened the scoring for Freiburg. Second-tier sides Dynamo Dresden and Hertha Berlin both won 2-0, against Schalke and Jeddeloh respectively.
In Spain, all 24 Copa del Rey ties scheduled for the evening of 28 October were postponed as a mark of respect after a high-speed train crashed into the rear of another train in the province of Toledo that morning, killing at least 68 people. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, who do not enter until the last 32 in December, all issued statements of condolence.
What comes next
Inter and Milan meet in the Milan derby on 31 October. Amorim's side go into the game having lost their unbeaten run, while Inter are level on points with Lazio at the top.