(CNN) -- Young striker Mario Balotelli made a goalscoring return to Inter Milan's line-up as the Italian champions bounced back from last weekend's defeat to maintain a one-point lead in Serie A on Saturday. 

The 19-year-old was welcomed back into the squad after apologizing during the week following his falling-out with manager Jose Mourinho, and helped Inter stay ahead of Roma with a 3-1 victory at home to Bologna. 

It was a successful end to a mixed week for Mourinho, who had announced his unhappiness with Italian football before Wednesday's 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. 

Brazilian midfielder Thiago Motta put Inter ahead in the 29th minute with the first of his two goals, firing in a shot from the edge of the penalty area after controlling the ball on his chest. 

Balotelli marked his first outing since March 7 with the second seven minutes after halftime with a cool finish following a pass from strike partner Diego Milito. 

Motta sealed a comfortable victory ahead of Tuesday's trip to Russia as he slotted in with five minutes left after a neat exchange with Dejan Stankovic. 

Second-placed Roma kept in touch with six matches to play following a 1-0 victory at mid-table Bari, where striker Mirko Vucinic returned from illness to net the winner in the 19th minute. 

The Montenegro hitman netted his ninth league goal this season after Francesco Totti combined well with Luca Toni, as Roma survived an earlier scare when defender Nicolas Burdisso had to clear Barreto's close-range effort off the line. 
Had Vucinic been sick lately?
striker Mirko Vucinic returned from illness 