Inter crashed bitter rivals Juventus out of the Scudetto race with a controversial 1-0 away victory in Sunday’s Derby d’Italia. The 178th edition of the famous rivalry lived up to expectations, even though the Allianz Stadium crowd got to see only one goal.
With table-topping Milan seven points clear ahead of Sunday’s kick-off, Juventus harboured some faint hopes of reclaiming domestic supremacy. However, Hakan Calhanoglu made sure to rule the Bianconeri out of the Scudetto race with a controversial strike from the spot-kick in the first-half stoppages.
Coming into this matchday, Inter had drawn four consecutive Serie A away games, inflicting massive damage on their bid to win back-to-back titles for the first time in over a decade. Simone Inzaghi’s men were six points adrift of Milan with a game in hand.
Therefore, Inter were desperate to pick up all three points in Turin, where they last won in 2012. A couple of controversial VAR decisions on the stroke of half-time proved enough to get the Nerazzurri back to winning ways in Serie A, handing Inzaghi’s side a monumental title boost.
Inter were inferior to Juventus for most of the game and they had Lady Luck to thank for keeping an eye on them tonight. Massimiliano Allegri’s team dominated proceedings through and through, but they failed to beat Samir Handanovic.
Before Calhanoglu’s opener, Inter were on the back foot and they continued in the same fashion beyond half-time. Despite an underwhelming performance, the reigning Italian champions walked away with all three points, and that’s the only thing that matters.
Milan Skriniar admitted in the aftermath that Inter flattered to deceive despite winning. However, the Slovakian defender emphasised the significance of his team’s victory at Juventus.
“The points are precious, we knew how important this game was, the opponent we were facing. I am really proud of my team, we fought to the final minute and this was the result,” he said, via TUTTOmercatoWEB.
“We really needed this victory, we sacrificed ourselves and it gives us a great boost for the upcoming games. It’s possible we are lacking sharpness compared to the start of the season, but it’s important and still a great feeling to win even when you don’t play that well.
“We knew how crucial this result was, as now everything remains wide open.”