Juventus vs Inter 0-1: Calhanoglu Penalty Breaks Non-Losing Streak

Inter pushed back Juventus’ challlenge to the Serie A title as they claimed the bragging rights in the Derby d’Italia thanks to a Hakan Calhanoglu spot-kick. It was a bizarre night at the Allianz Stadium as one of the best versions of Juve seen this season struggled to find the back of the net and ultimately succumbed to the only goal of the game.

Simone Inzaghi could thus preserve his third spot in the table while they wait for top-ranked Milan to face Bologna tomorrow. However, the coach has little to be happy about – save for the game score – as the Bianconeri were in control for most of the game.

Inter had their winner from their only dangerous shot on target. They even missed that, if truth be told, but Matthijs De Ligt’s box invasion offered Calhanoglu a second chance from the spot – which he made the best of this time. 

The Lineups: Brozovic Back from the Start for Inter

Massimiliano Allegri didn’t risk deploying Denis Zakaria, who was only fit for the bench, and lined up his Bianconeri in a 4-2-3-1 fashion with Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala, and Alvaro Morata behind Dusan Vlahovic.

For Inter, Marcelo Brozovic came back from the start, offering Simone Inzaghi the chance to feature his best possible formation. This was really good news for the gaffer as the Croat’s absence had basically left a hole in Inter’s midfield which coincided with the Nerazzurri‘s dramatic dip in form in the past few weeks.

Dramatic Penalty Puts Inter Ahead Despite Juve Domination

Wojciech Szczesny was the first to be called to action as he had to push back an early Milan Skriniar header. From then on, though, Juventus were fully in control and came close to open the scoring when Handanovic clumsily punched away a Cuadrado cross, keeping the ball in the danger zone and prompting Giorgio Chiellini’s close-range deflection that hit the crossbar.

Allegri seemed to have found the right formula upfront as his strikers’ exchanges were a pleasure to watch. On 11 minutes, Dybala woke up and went for a creative lob shot from sidereal distance that sailed off the bar – but not by many inches. Then, it was Cuadrado to test Handanovic’s reflexes, finding the Slovenian goalkeeper alert. Vlahovic picked Morata with a spectacular cross but the Spaniard’s header should have been better.

On 28 minutes, Morata again failed back-to-back chances from close range after receiving from Cuadrado, who took advantage of an Alessandro Bastoni mishap along the right flank. 

Juve’s momentum was broken when Manuel Locatelli picked up an injury and had to leave room for Zakaria’s return. That was the episode that slowed down the match tempo and heralded a dramatic conclusion to the first half, which climaxed when Denzel Dumfries was sandwiched in the box between Morata and Alex Sandro.

Referee Massimiliano Irrati awarded a spot-kick after checking the VAR but Hakan Calhanolgu confirmed his terrible run of form with a weak conversion that offered Szczesny a chance to shine. However, the show was not over as Irrati ordered the penalty to be taken again as Matthijs De Ligt had entered the area before Calhanoglu’s shot. This time, the Turk buried the spot and put Inter ahead.  

Juventus Second Half Assault Bears No Fruit

Juventus restarted to push for an equalizer right from Irrati’s second-half whistle. Dybala seemed ready to take advantage of Inter’s careless defense but Brozovic saved the day with a decisive clearance. Ivan Perisic did a similar feat, snatching the ball out of Dybala’s feet right when the Argentine was about to finalize another brilliant combination among the Juve offensive players. 

Inzaghi understood that he had to change something and was the first to make some tactical substitutions, sending in Matteo Darmian for Dumfries and Joaquin Correa for a disappointing Lautaro Martinez. He then also added Arturo Vidal and Roberto Gagliardini, with Robin Gosens taking Edin Dzeko’s place in the dying minutes.

But it was still Juventus to be dangerous. Vlahovic pulled off the feat of the day as he got rid of two players in the box and curled the ball round the keeper, yet a few inches too wide. Then, Zakaria produced himself in a devastating progression from the midfield and concluded his effort with a shot that made Handanovic’s right post rattle.

It was just not Juve’s night as Vlahovic and De Ligt’s late penalty claims were dismissed, leaving the Bianconeri empty-handed. Allegri’s late additions of Moise Kean and Federico Bernardeschi upfront didn’t change the situation either. 

Inter’s best chance was a fast break triggered by Correa and badly wasted by Vidal. El Tucu Correa also had a good occasion on his feet but sent his shot into the stands and blamed in on the Allianz Stadium turf. But, ultimately, all they needed to come back to smile was Calhanoglu’s penalty.

What’s Next for Juventus and Inter

This was Juventus’ first campionato loss in 16 games. It probably put an end to Max Allegri’s ambitions to fight for the Scudetto but the Bianconeri will need to keep their guard high to defender their Champions League spot mostly from Roma’s assaults. They will next face Cagliari at the Unipol Domus on Saturday.

The same day, Inter will receive Verona at the San Siro as they try to keep track with Milan and Napoli – bearing in mind that the Nerazzurri still have one game in hand, to be played away at Bologna on April 27. 

 

MATCH SCORECARD

April 3, 2021 – Serie A 2021-2022 Round 31
JUVENTUS – INTER 0-1

SCORERS: 45’+5′ Calhanoglu pen.