Inter Milan recorded their first win at the Allianz Stadium since November 2012 after showing excellent defensive resolve in a 1-0 win away at Juventus.
Much was expected in this latest Derby d’Italia, and Juve ensured the game lived up to its top billing with a breathless start to the game. Dušan Vlahović saw his early shot saved by Samir Handanović at his near post, while Paulo Dybala’s audacious long-range strike skimmed the roof of the net. Handanović was left counting his blessings when he made a hash of Juan Cuadrado’s cross and saw the ball bounce just inside the six-yard box before cannoning off the crossbar. The Colombian looked to get on the scoresheet himself with a fierce shot of his own, which the ‘Nerazzurri’ shot-stopper pushed to safety.
Despite a dominant display, there was a late sting in the tail in a crazy end to the first half. Referee Massimiliano Irrati questionably awarded Inter a penalty after viewing the VAR monitor, as Denzel Dumfries went down in the box following the combined challenges of Morata and Alex Sandro.‘I Bianconeri’ thought justice was done when Wojciech Szczęsny saved Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s spot-kick, before Adrien Rabiot turned the ball into his own net. Nevertheless, the penalty was re-taken due to encroachment and Çalhanoğlu was successful at the second attempt to leave Massimiliano Allegri incandescent with rage.
The goal did little to turn the tide in this contest, with Marcelo Brozović clearing Dybala’s angled strike off the line after being played through by Morata. The chances kept on coming, as Rabiot brilliantly picked out Vlahović, who twisted and turned in the box and saw his resulting strike go inches wide of the far post. Denis Zakaria looked to take matters into his own hands with a superb run from midfield, which resulted in a fierce shot that was tipped onto the post by Handanović.
But there was no way through for the hosts, whose 16-match unbeaten run in Serie A came to end. Meanwhile, Simone Inzaghi’s side boosted their own aspirations of retaining the Scudetto and remain in third, just three points adrift of city rivals and league leaders AC Milan.
