For what it’s worth, the ruling against Lukaku does add insult to injury, as Inter prepare to welcome Juventus in the highly-anticipated midweek decider.
Juventus vs Inter last week ended in ugly scenes towards the business end, as the Nerazzurri mustered a significant leveler via Romelu Lukaku in the 95th minute. The big Belgian will however miss the return leg scheduled on 26 April after his penalty goal triggered a contentious celebration.
The first leg of the Coppa Italia encounter between the Derby d’Italia heavyweights ended with its fair share of controversy. Following a handball by Gleison Bremer in the penalty area, Romelu Lukaku converted a 95th minute penalty, and after which, his celebrations waxed into a scene of great chaos.
Gleison Bremer gave away a penalty kick with a handball just seconds before the end of added-time, allowing Romelu Lukaku to convert from the spot. So here are our player ratings for Juventus who had to settle for a first-leg draw against Inter, setting up a fiery return fixture at the Giuseppe Meazza on April 26.
Inter have a busy April coming up, with everything to play for – Coppa Italia, the UCL and Serie A, and the former Ajax shotstopper backed his teammates to enter the month head-on, without fear.
Historically, Inter and Juventus have been the two teams that want to be the biggest in Italy and dominate the Serie A. The source of their rivalry has nothing to do with political or social reasons, e.g. right-wing vs left-wing or proletarian vs aristocratic.
Zanetti arrived in 1995 from Argentine club Banfield, at just 22 years of age, and went on to etch a legacy few players can boast of – eventually ending his Inter career with a staggering 858 appearances.
Turkish midfield ace Hakan Calhanoglu is confident of Inter’s chances in the Coppa Italia and the Champions League following an immense 18-point gap that opened up to Serie A leaders Napoli.
Inter eked out a 1-0 win over in-form Atalanta in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Tuesday night, courtesy of Matteo Darmian's second-half strike. The reigning Coppa Italia holders were hardly a better side, though it was a thoroughly uneventful contest despite high expectations.
Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali wishes to redeem his team’s season in the remaining competitions, following the Rossoneri’s premature exit from the Coppa Italia.