Ten-man Juventus kept their nerve and managed to prevail in a seven-goal epic against fierce rivals Inter Milan to keep their Champions League hopes alive. The Bianconeri clinched a vital 3-2 victory at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday to break into the Serie A top-four, at least for now.
Ahead of the kick-off, Andrea Pirlo‘s men were fifth in the standings, a point adrift of fourth-placed Napoli, who will face Fiorentina at Artemio Franchi on Sunday early afternoon. Meanwhile, except for personal motives, Antonio Conte’s side had no pressure heading into this fixture.
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— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 15, 2021
It was “do or die” for Juventus, and they couldn’t play with the fans’ nerves more than they did. Three spot-kicks, two for Juve and one for Inter, and one red card apiece, probably best highlights how badly both sides wanted to win here.
Matteo Darmian tackled Giorgio Chiellini down from a Juve corner 22 minutes into the game to give away a cheap penalty. Though referee Gianpaolo Calvarese first waved play on, he rewarded a penalty following a VAR check. Cristiano Ronaldo saw his effort thwarted by Samir Handanovic, but the Portuguese forward poached home the rebound to break the deadlock midway through the first half.
VAR interfered again, just ten minutes later, but to give a penalty to Inter this time around. Romelu Lukaku made no mistake from the spot to put things back to square one. Juventus regained the lead on the stroke of half-time as Juan Cuadrado’s effort found its way through a forest of legs to catch Handanovic off guard.
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— Inter ??? (@Inter_en) May 15, 2021
The team Antonio Conte is sending out for #JuventusInter!
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However, the hosts began the second half with a whimper rather than a bang, with Rodrigo Bentancur receiving marching orders following the second booking. From that moment on, it was all Inter.
The Bianconeri conceded possession to the visitors and barely managed to orchestrate something meaningful on the break. Pirlo’s men opted to sit back and defend, with the Nerazzurri failing to find pockets between the lines.
But patience and persistence finally paid off in the 83rd minute when Lukaku wrestled Chiellini off the ball to force an own goal. Calvarese promptly disallowed the goal for a potential foul play but overruled his initial call after consulting with the side-pitch monitor.
The drama went on as Juventus responded almost immediately through Cuadrado. The Colombian drew a silly foul from Ivan Perisic inside Inter’s 18-yard box and converted the spot-kick himself to give his side precious three points.
The best moments of #JuveInter ???
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 16, 2021
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MATCH REPORT
May 15, 2021 – Serie A 2020-21 Round 37
JUVENTUS-INTER 3-2
SCORERS: 24′ Cristiano Ronaldo (J), 35′ Lukaku (I, pen.), 45+3′ Cuadrado (J), 83′ Chiellini (J, o.g.), 88′ Cuadrado (J, pen.)
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JUVENTUS (4-4-2): Szczesny; Danilo, De Ligt, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Rabiot, Chiesa (70′ Demiral); Kulusevski (58′ McKennie), Cristiano Ronaldo (70′ Morata (Buffon, Pinsoglio, Bonucci, Arthur, Ramsey, Dybala, Bernardeschi, Felix Correia) Coach: Pirlo |
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INTER (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni (80′ Vecino); Hakimi, Barella, Brozovic, Eriksen (73′ Sensi), Darmian (46′ Perisic); Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez (Radu, Padelli, Ranocchia, D’Ambrosio, Perisic, Young, Gagliardini, Pinamonti) Coach: Conte |
REFEREE: Mr. Calvarese from Teramo
NOTES: Yellow Cards: Kulusevski, Chiellini, Cuadrado (J), Darmian, Bastoni (I); Red Cards: Bentancur (J), Brozovic (I); Extra Time: 1st Half 3′, 2nd Half 4′