Here is the match report:
Full time: Inter 2-1 Juventus
And that’s that. Inter may have come into this meeting as leaders but Juve used this as a chance to clamp them in a headlock, march them around the playground and remind them just who the bigger boys are. It was a great contest – and the first half especially was sublime entertainment – but in truth Juve were the better side throughout and are well worth their win. Higuain is the hero from the bench, and Sarri is left looking a very smart man indeed. The champions are back on top – for now.
90+3: Juve’s players have spent the lack few minutes taking it in turns to writhe around on the ground, and the clock ticks down accordingly. Not long now.
88 mins: Inter force a corner but Szczesny does exactly what’s needed and come out to claim commandingly. Then Barella goes down on the edge of the box in a desperate bid for a free-kick. He’s rewarded with a yellow card. Juve look like holding on here.
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86 mins: Golden chance for Vecino, who is put through by a slide-rule D’Ambrosio pass but – on the stretch – can’t quite lift his shot over Szczesny.
That Juve goal in all its glory:
⚽ HIGUAIN PUTS JUVE BACK IN FRONT!
— Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) October 6, 2019
⚫⚪ Great build-up play from the Bianconeri and the substitute puts Sarri's team 2-1 up! pic.twitter.com/BFLMCrsCrw
82 mins. Inter need something now, and have enough time to put together a feasible kitchen-sink job. Emre Can is booked for a clumsy foul.
Goal! Inter 1-2 Juventus (Higuain 80)
80 mins: Brilliant goal. Juventus work their way to the edge of the box, where Ronaldo and Bentancur exchange precision passes before the latter releases Higuain, who’s wriggled into space between the centre-back and full-back in the inside right channel. He latches on to the ball, controls and drills a no-frills finish under Handanovic. Quick, simple and brutally effective.
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77 mins: Inter break and again it’s Martinez looking to provide the cutting edge, turning on the D and hitting an early strike. It’s scuffed, but it gets a deflection. Corner. That’s his last contribution, as Conte sends on Politano. A shame.
74 mins: Ronaldo escapes down the left again and sends a laser-guided cutback towards Higuain, who dummies and leaves it for Bentancur but he’s beaten to the ball – by a split-second – by Brozovic. Juve want a penalty but they aren’t getting one.
70 mins: A first contribution from Higain as he muscles off Brozovic and feeds Ronaldo down the inside left. He offers his marker a quick stepover then blams a low left-foot drive at Handanovic, who gets down to save. Emre Can enters the fray Dybala.
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69 mins: Vecino spins on the edge of the box and unleashes on goal. A huge deflection takes the ball inches wide, with Szczesny rooted to the spot. That could have gone anywhere.
66 mins: The electric Martinez slaloms into the box, but tries to beat the last defender rather than squaring to a teammate who would’ve had a clearcut chance. Lovely play – but greedy play. A minute later Bonucci bundles Lukaku down inside the box, less shoulder-to-shoulder than shoulder-to-back. But no pen.
61 mins: The first change for Juve: Bentancur comes on for Khedira. And, more importantly, the second: Higuain for Bernardeschi. Juve are going for this.
58 mins: Lovely feet by Bonucci, dancing around Lukaku on halfway and caressing a pass into the feet of Bernardeschi, who is quickly pounced on and dispossessed by De Vrij. He goes down clutching his face, but there was nothing untoward about that – yet Inter are still obliged to kick the ball out rather the mount an attack. Yawn.
56 mins: Juve attack again. Ronaldo holds it up well and offloads to Lhedira, whose through-ball to Dybala is perfectly timed. But the striker can barely collect the ball before Handanovic is at his feet, smothering the initial effort and doing enough to force the rebound over. Still 1-1, but starting to look ominous for Inter.
54 mins: Alex Sandro and Matuidi work their way neatly forward down the left before laying off to an onrushing Ronaldo, who lashes wide from distance. Conte makes his second change, Bastoni replacing Godin.
51 mins: Martinez v De Ligt is turning into the battle of the night, and they lock horns again as the Dutchman slides in to dispossess the attacker, who has flicked and tricked his way to the edge of the box. Down the other end, Inter engage in some absurdly risky possession-keeping between their defenders and keeper, each pass inviting a deadly interception. Brozovic eventually sees sense and hoofs the ball violently clear.
47 mins: Matuidi scoots down the left and fires a low cross into Dybala, but his snapshot is sliced into oblivion. A minute later Ronaldo goes down under a frisky challenge on the edge of the box – a running theme so far – but no foul. Frown, pout, scowl.
The second half kicks off, and within seconds Inter are pressed into an early error. Juve throw.
… and here’s Ronaldo’s non-goal:
🙈 Ronaldo has the ball in the back of the net, but it's ruled out for offside! pic.twitter.com/cu9Iog8N8g
— Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) October 6, 2019
Half-time viewing – Matthijs de Ligt’s moment of silliness, punished according by Lautaro Martínez:
⚽ Lautaro Martínez levels it!
— Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) October 6, 2019
🔵⚫ De Ligt penalised for hand ball, and Inter's No. 10 makes no mistake from the spot! pic.twitter.com/xjkvGPv7li
Half-time: Inter 1-1 Juventus
Dybala storms into the box in stoppage time and takes a tumble after an imaginary foul from Godin. The referee isn’t fooled and waves play on – and Inter hurtle down the pitch to release Lukaku, but he is forced wide, his shot is blocked and cleared. Then peep-peep, and both sets of players use the half-time whistle as the green light to enter into a mass ruckus on their way down the tunnel. Coaching staff enter the fray to calm it all down – lovely stuff. This has been breathless.
41 mins: Ronaldo comes close to putting Juventus back into the lead. It’s a lovely move which he starts by drifting out to the left and feeding Matuidi, whose low cross is laid off first-time by Dybala to Ronaldo. His low shot is firm but saved by Handanovic.
And yet seconds later he latches on to another Dybala pass to fire Juventus ahead! Except he hasn’t! The Argentine had strayed just offside, and celebrations are cut short. But I’ll tell you a secret: that Ronaldo goal is most definitely coming.
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36 mins: The game has settled down somewhat and Juve are asserting themselves. Ronaldo is heavily involved and Cuadrado inevitably dangerous when he gets forward from right-back. But he’s a liability, too: under no pressure near his own corner flag, he passes right across the face of his own box and comes within inches of seeing it intercepted by the onrushing Martinez. Clearly they don’t teach Catenaccio in Colombia.
Juve’s first goal:
💥 WHAT A FINISH FROM DYBALA!
— Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) October 6, 2019
⚫⚪ Juve strike first at the Giuseppe Meazza! pic.twitter.com/q4zCuNvmCx
33 mins: Stefano Sensi’s game is over, he’s picked up an injury and trudges off in a huff, Matías Vecino his replacement.
28 mins: Pjanic aims a deep cross for Ronaldo, who can’t quite do enough to meet a ball that’s just behind him. But the Portuguese has seen lots of the ball so far, dropping deep to get it in a manner unusual for his latter-years self. Then Lukaku and Martinez link again, the former nutmegging De Ligt on the turn to feed his strike partner, who unleashes from distance to force a flying save from Szczesny. This has been sensational entertainment.
25 mins: A frenzied opening quarter finally hits something resembling a lull, with a bout of unhurried possession play from either side. The livewire Martinez charges forward and exchanges passes with Lukaku, forcing Szczesny to come out and intercept.
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21 mins: Juve free-kick 30 yards out. Ronaldo adopts his alpha-dog stance, puffs out his chest and belts it purposefully into the wall.
Goal! Inter 1-1 Juventus (Martinez 18, pen)
Martinez steps up and drills his kick low and hard into the bottom corner, Szczesny guessing the right way yet left with no chance. But what on earth was De Ligt doing?! He should have headed it – instead he practically punched it away.
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Penalty to Inter! De Ligt goes to meet a cross but inexplicably leads with his elbow, and handballs it to “safety”. Madness.
15 mins: Inter put together their first spell of sustained possession, working the ball neatly from left to right and Barella eventually seeing his cross headed away. The corner comes to nothing, half-cleared to Barella whose volley is wild and wide.
12 mins: Alex Sandro is booked for stopping Inter taking a quick throw.
11 mins: Godin leaves Ronaldo in a heap again as the pair tangle on halfway. No foul this time. Ronaldo aims an angry pout in the direction of the ref. Then a fired-up Skriniar does the same to Dybala – foul. Very tasty so far.
9 mins: Juve attack down the left again, Ronaldo cutting inside this time and rattling the bar with a piledriver from the edge of the box. Inter charge up the other end and feed Lukaku, but the angle tightens and the chance never quite materialises. What a game!
8 mins: Juve pull off an eerily similar move, this time releasing Ronaldo down the inside-left channel and into the box. Inter’s defence have learned their lesson, though, and close down early. Shot blocked.
Goal! Inter 0-1 Juventus (Dybala 4)
What a start! First blood to Juve and Sarri’s big call is vindicated immediately as Dybala collects a lofted pass from Pjanic, dribbles into the box and is afforded just enough space to rifle an early left-foot shot past a suspiciously flat-footed Handanovic.
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4 mins: A first touch for Ronaldo, and within a split second he’s clattered by Godin. The striker, in a heap, wins a free-kick on halfway.
3 mins: D’Ambrosio breaks down the right for Inter and exchanges passes with Barella before seeing his low cross deflected out for a corner. Nice move.
And we’re off. Juventus take kickoff and within a minute have whipped a couple of crosses into Inter’s box. Godin clears with conviction.
The teams observe a minute’s silence to mark the death of Sassuolo president Giorgio Squinzi on Wednesday.
The teams are out, and we’re treated to a brief operatic anthem before they disperse into formation. Sarri and Conte embrace, all smiles. Kickoff imminent.
So Federico Bernardeschi gets the nod over Aaron Ramsey in the Juventus midfield, quite possibly thanks to his goal in the Champions League on Tuesday. No such luck for Gonzalo Higuain, though, who scored one and set one up in midweek but is dropped to the bench today. In his stead, Paulo Dybala, a more mercurial player but one who brings an energy and trickery Higuain doesn’t. Alongside him: You Know Who.
As for Inter, it’s as expected: Romelu Lukaku next to Lautaro Martínez up top, and Stefano Sensi tasked with lying on the chances. Diego Godin will marshall Antonio Conte’s signature three-man backline, and resume his rivalry with You Know Who.
A comprehensive scene-setter:
Team news ahoy!
Inter: Handanovic; Godin, De Vrij, Skriniar; D’Ambrosio, Barella, Brozovic, Sensi, Asamoah; Lautaro, Lukaku.
Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi; Ronaldo, Dybala
Preamble
Tuscany, summer 2006. Serie B minnows Arezzo take a punt on a young and unproven manager called Antonio Conte, granting the former Juventus enforcer his first job in management. It doesn’t go well: Conte is given the boot after nine league games, during which his team have cobbled together two goals and two points. His replacement? A bespectacled lower-league journeyman by the name of Maurizio Sarri. It doesn’t go well: Sarri is given the boot after 19 games, with Arezzo rock bottom. His replacement? One Signor Conte. Arezzo rally but in the end cannot escape the drop into Serie C.
West London, summer 2018. Chelsea, a trophy-hoarding Premier League juggernaut, are coming to the end of their patience with Antonio Conte, by now a grizzled serial title-winner. His replacement? Maurizio Sarri, these days one of the hottest properties in Europe following his spectacular transformation of Napoli into the continent’s most thrilling side. Small world.
San Siro, October 2019. Two of Italy’s heavyweights meet for Europe’s game of the season so far with Antonio Conte, newly installed at Inter, looking like he might just manage what Maurizio Sarri never could: break Juventus’ iron grip on Serie A. It’s eight in a row now for Juve and given that three of those were won by Conte, it would be quite the drama if he was the man to end the run – not to mention a pretty bad look for the incoming Sarri, whose list of so-called major trophies currently begins and ends with last season’s Europa League.
All the pieces are in place for a gripping game: a reigning superpower against a rallying force, a host of high-class one-on-one battles (Asamoah v Cuadrado, Sensi v Pjanic, Ronaldo v Godin) and the chance for the insurgents to make a statement and open up a five-point lead at the top. Forget second-division relegation scraps – this game could go some way to deciding the top-flight title. We’ve come a long way since Arezzo. Strap in.
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