Inter vs Juventus 2-1: Sanchez Last-Gasp Goal Delivers Supercup

Alexis Sanchez delivered the Italian Supercup to Inter with a last-gasp goal that shocked Juventus right when both sides seemed ready for a penalty shootout. Weston McKennie opened the scoring for the Bianconeri with a clinical header but Lautaro Martinez leveled things up from the penalty spot.

Then, the match tempo at the San Siro progressively slowed down until the Chilean’s goal in the fatal 120th minute, perhaps leaving many wondering what was the point of playing the Supercoppa – a traditional pre-season appointment – in a freezing January night and in the middle of a compressed league schedule. 

With that being said, Simone Inzaghi deservedly took home his first trophy as an Inter manager – the third Supercup in his coaching career – as the Nerazzurri did actually do a bit more than the Old Lady to ultimately come on top.

Inter could face the test with a full squad. Inzaghi used his trademark 3-5-2 setup with Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko spearheading the attack. Ivan Perisic and Denzel Dumfries covered the wingback spots, while Nicolò Barella, Marcelo Brozovic and Hakan Calhanoglu formed a solid midfield line. 

Max Allegri, on the other hand, was missing his starting goalkeeper Wojciech Szcesny who didn’t get his Covid clearance in time. He was replaced by Mattia Perin between the sticks. Matthijs De Ligt and Juan Cuadrado were also absent due to the yellow cards they accumulated in league games. Paulo Dybala was left on the bench as it was Dejan Kulusevski to join Federico Bernardeschi and Alvaro Morata upfront, with poor Federico Chiesa out for the rest of the season.

Inter’s start was aggressive. The Nerazzurri mostly pushed from the wings, using Perisic and Dumfries to put pressure on the Bianconeri. There were early controversies as both sides asked for a penalty in the initial stages of the game. On the one hand, Giorgio Chiellini used his experience to stop Nicolò Barella. On the other side, Stephan De Vrij risked much to stop Bernaderschi in the box.

Despite Inter’s fierce start, however, it was the Bianconeri who opened the scoring. Just like a few days ago against Roma, Morata steered Juventus in the right direction. The Spaniard delivered a perfect cross in the box for Weston McKennie, who was left free to head the ball home from close range with no opposition from either De Vrij or Alessandro Bastoni.

Inter drew level on 34 minutes, courtesy of a spot-kick converted by Lautaro Martinez. Served from Perisic with a brilliant back-heel pass, Dzeko was knocked down in the box by a clumsy Mattia De Sciglio tackle and referee Daniele Doveri had no doubts this time. 

The rest of the first half was a black-and-blue monologue. Inter should have likely have had their second but Lady Luck helped Adrien Rabiot and prevented him from putting together a tragicomic own goal, sending the Frenchman’s clumsy clearance a few inches wide of his own net.

Juventus started the second period on the right foot. Bernardeschi came close to score his second twice in the early minutes with two shots that narrowly missed the target. But it was a short illusion, as Inter quickly regained command of the operations.

On 59 minutes, Calhanoglu delivered a superb cross on his, picking Dumfries in the box, but Perin was well alert and deflected the Dutchman’s header to the crossbar.

Both coaches tried to reshuffle their cards. Dybala set foot on the pitch on 73 minutes, taking Kulusevski’s place. Inzaghi’s countermeasures were immediate and resulted in sending in Joaquin Correa and Alexis Sanchez, changing his whole offensive line. But none of these changes had an impact on the match, which lost its intensity as the minutes run by.

The extra times didn’t offer much to the show, save for a flurry of yellow cards delivered by referee Doveri. That is, until the very last minute, when a cross from Federico Dimarco caught Alex Sandro by surprise in the box. The Brazilian defender failed to control the ball and had it snatched out of his feet by Matteo Darmian, who promptly served Sanchez.

The Chilean was quick to push it into the back of the net, drawing the curtains on the Supercoppa and delivering to Simone Inzaghi his first trophy as a Nerazzurro. 

What’s Next for Inter and Juventus

Juventus will face Udinese at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday night. Aside from the Supercoppa, the Bianconeri should better switch their focus back to the campionato if they want to save a disappointing season and grab at least a Champions League spot.

If they want to do so, they may need some help from Inter themselves, who will face fourth-placed Atalanta at the Gewiss Stadium the following day. A tough test for Simone Inzaghi’s Nerazzurri, who will find on their path a Bergamaschi side in tip-top shape, coming from a 6-2 win over Udinese. 

 

MATCH SCORECARD

January 12, 2022 – Italian Supercup 2021/22
INTER – JUVENTUS 2-1 after extra time

SCORERS: 25′ McKennie (J), 35′ Lautaro Martinez (I, pen.), 121′ Sanchez (I)