In a must-win encounter for them, Juventus welcomed their old manager Antonio Conte and his Inter side in the famous Derby d’Italia. It turned out to be one for the history books, as the Nerazzurri leveled the score on two occasions, but Juan Cuadrado won and converted a late penalty kick which sealed the match for the home side. So here are the player ratings for the intense and controversial battle between Juventus and Inter.
Juventus XI
Wojciech Szczesny – 6
The Poland international was faultless on both goals conceded by the home side, but made a brilliant save to deny Vecino late in the second half.
Danilo – 7
A commanding performance from the former Manchester City man who shielded his side from the attacks of Darmian in the first half, and his substitute Perisic in the second. Switched into a midfielder later on.
Matthijs de Ligt – 7
Another brilliant performer at the back, although he was unfortunate to give away a dubious penalty kick for a slight trip on Lautaro. A dominant presence at the back.
Giorgio Chiellini – 7
Similarly to his striking partner, the Italian was a rock at the back, and could have been the man of the match, but he ended up scoring a late goal after being over-powered by Lukaku. Nonetheless, the captain should be proud of his possibly last hurrah with the Old Lady.
Alex Sandro – 6
The Brazilian wasted possession several times with some poor passing, and failed to support Chiesa on the wing. But he earns some points for limiting Hakimi’s danger.
Juan Cuadrado – 8
The Colombian chose the right time to open his scoring account for the season. His thuderous effort was luckily deflected into the net, and when Juventus needed a hero, he cheekily won them a penalty – much to the dismay of the Inter players – and converted it himself. Moreover, his late run caused a red card for Brozovic.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 4
What a poor night for the former Boca Juniors man. He was wasteful with the ball, and left his side exposed for the majority of the second half after earning a needless second yellow card.
Adrien Rabiot – 7
The Frenchman was focused and composed throughout the evening. Helped his team in winning the midfield battle in the first half, and fought hard for every ball.
Federico Chiesa – 6
The winger tried hard to find a breakthrough for Juventus, but sometimes found it hard against the Inter defenders, especially Hakimi and Skriniar. Created a smart chance for Kuluseveski with a lobbed header.
Dejan Kulusevski – 6
The former Atalanta man acted as Brozovic’s shadow whenever the Nerazzurri player had the ball, but wasted a good opportunity early on. Was unlucky to be sacrificed by Pirlo following Bentancur’s dismissal.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 6
The Portuguese legend cemented his lead at the top of the Serie A scoring charts. Although Handanovic denied him from the spot, he was lucky enough to be able to pounce on the rebound. Was subbed off during the second half in a rare occurrence as Pirlo needed some fresh legs.
Juventus Substitutes
Weston McKennie – 6
The American put on a hardworking shift in the middle to help his side survive the champions’ onslaught.
Alvaro Morata – N/A
Merih Demiral – N/A
Inter XI
Samir Handanovic – 6.5
The former Udinese man conceded three goals, and yet, his performance wasn’t bad at all. Despite saving Ronaldo’s spot kick, the Portuguese scored from the rebound. He was then beaten twice by Cuadrado – with a deflected effort and another penalty kick.
Milan Skriniar – 6.5
The Slovakian was a solid presence at the back, and even intercepting shots with his head. Tried to support his teammates in attack at times, but was rarely successful in this task.
Stefan de Vrij – 6.5
The Dutchman was composed in defense, blocking the likes of Chiesa and Kulusevski, whilst keeping Ronaldo at bay whenever he tried to enter the penalty box.
Alessandro Bastoni – 6
The young Italian center back didn’t commit mistakes and was a reliable presence at the back.
Achraf Hakimi – 6
The Morocco international surged forward on some occasions, but didn’t always find enough spaces to punish the Bianconeri’s defenses. Nonetheless, his crosses towards the box caused havoc for his opponents.
Nicolo Barella – 5.5
A hard working performance from the Cagliari midfielder, but it must be said that he seems to be much less influential compared to his thrilling form earlier in the season. Found some difficulties when facing Rabiot.
Marcelo Brozovic – 5
A tough night for the Inter midfield anchor. Suffered from Kulusevski’s high pressing earlier in the match, and was giving his marching orders in added time after two late bookings.
Christian Eriksen – 5
The Dane’s presence was hardly noticed throughout the match. Sometimes he makes up for it with his famous freekicks, but not on this occasion, as Inter failed to trouble Juventus with his dead-ball deliveries.
Matteo Darmian – 5
The former Manchester United man was surprisingly given the nod on the left, but ended up suffering for an entire half before being taken off at the interval. Gave away the first penalty kick of the match for his challenge on Chiellini, and was repeatedly overpowered by Danilo.
Lautaro Martinez – 6.5
The Argentine could have scored the goal of the season, but the referee had blown his whistle before he took his bicycle kick. Found it difficult against de Ligt, but still managed to shrewdly steal a penalty kick.
Romelu Lukaku – 6.5
The Belgian didn’t enjoy his best night, as his touch abandoned him on several occasions, and yet, he was the man behind his side’s two goals – scoring the first from the spot, and forcing Chiellini to put the ball in his own net.
Inter Substitutes
Ivan Perisic – 5.5
The Croatian was a slight improvement on Darmian offensively, but ended up giving away a dubious penalty for a challenge on Cuadrado.
Stefano Sensi – N/A
Matias Vecino – N/A
0 – Juventus are unbeaten in each of their last five Serie A home games in which they have received a red card against Inter (W4 D1). Resistance.#JuveInter #JuventusInter pic.twitter.com/MS3WSHPhwp
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) May 15, 2021