Inter Edges Juventus in Australian Derby d’Italia

On a cool night in Perth, on the other side of the world from San Siro and the Allianz, Inter and Juventus served up a Derby d’Italia that looked like a friendly only on the teamsheet. The tackles had bite, the crowd picked sides, and two sharp Inter finishes settled it: 2-1 to the Nerazzurri.

Federico Dimarco and Andy Diouf scored the goals that mattered. Francisco Conceição’s late strike gave Juventus a lifeline, but not enough time.

Dimarco pounces, Juve wake up late in first half

Juventus, fresh from a 1-0 win over Chelsea, handed a first summer start to Kenan Yildiz and debuts to Kerim Alajbegovic and Randal Kolo Muani after the break. Inter arrived off the back of a 1-1 draw with Milan in the Australian Derby della Madonnina, with Petar Sucic back in Europe for the birth of his child.

Inter settled first. Ange-Yoan Bonny escaped Wes McKennie down the left, drove into space and slid a low ball across the box. Dimarco arrived, scuffed the first-time finish from 12 yards, but guided it perfectly into the far bottom corner. Untidy technique, ruthless outcome.

The goal jolted Juventus. Before the interval, Inter’s midfield quality still showed, with Hakan Calhanoglu forcing Michele Di Gregorio into action from a viciously dipping free-kick. Henrikh Mkhitaryan tried his luck as well, Di Gregorio again having to stay sharp.

Then the Bianconeri finally began to stitch moves together. Douglas Luiz threaded a clever ball in behind, sending Andrea Cambiaso clear, but instead of pulling the trigger he tried to cut back and the chance evaporated. Yildiz soon followed with a warning of his own, drilling just wide from the edge of the area. Inter went in ahead, but no longer untroubled.

Spalletti rings the changes, Diouf punishes Juve

Half-time brought a flurry of changes from Luciano Spalletti. On came Kolo Muani and Alajbegovic for their Juventus bows, fresh legs and fresh intrigue in attack.

The next decisive moment, though, belonged to Inter.

Diouf picked up the ball and surged into a vast gap between Juan Cabal and Teun Koopmeiners, the Juventus back line parting far too easily. His angled drive at the near post should have been routine for Di Gregorio. Instead, the goalkeeper misjudged it badly, fumbling and allowing the ball to squirm under his body and over the line. A crisp Inter move, a soft Juventus concession.

Inter could have buried the game. Jamal Iddrissou rolled a perfect ball across the face of goal to an unmarked Matteo Lavelli, only for the forward to balloon his finish over an open net. Before that, an Alajbegovic cross had just brushed the head of Kolo Muani, who was inches from marking his debut with a goal.

Conceição ignites a late push

Just as the contest seemed to drift toward a controlled Inter win, Juventus finally found a cutting edge down the left. Conceição combined neatly with Fabio Miretti, burst into the box and lashed his finish through Josep Martinez’s legs. A consolation on the scoreboard, but a spark in the game.

The reaction was instant. Alajbegovic, growing in confidence, drove into the area and tested Martinez after a neat layoff from Kolo Muani. Moments later, Kolo Muani himself went down under pressure from Leonardo Bovio as he tried to spin from 10 yards out, appealing for a penalty that never came.

Juventus had Inter pinned back in the closing minutes, substitutes driving the surge, but the equaliser stayed out.

In the end, the Australian Derby d’Italia went to Inter: sharper early, more clinical when it counted, and just resilient enough when the late Juventus storm arrived.