Inter held by Juve in Derby d’Italia

MILAN - The 177th Derby d'Italia was played out in front of 57,000 fans who were sent into raptures when Edin Dzeko was in the right place to turn home the rebound after Hakan Calhanoglu's strike from outside the box thumped against the woodwork with 17 minutes on the clock to give Inter a deserved lead.

The game turned in the 85th minute when referee Maurizio Mariani was advised to go to the VAR monitor to check a Denzel Dumfries tackle on Alex Sandro, eventually opting to award Juventus a penalty. Substitute Paulo Dybala stepped up to send Samir Handanovic the wrong way from the spot.

It was the sort of evening that San Siro had been waiting a long time for, although the end result did not go to plan. Memories from the win last season were strong, but fans were missing on that occasion. The Meazza faithful drove the team forward against a backdrop of passionate support. It was not exactly a must-win in terms of the title race, but certainly a game that neither team could afford to lose for many reasons, and so it proved. Inter lined up in a 3-5-2 formation with Calhanoglu back in the team.

Max Allegri opted to mirror Inter’s system, with Dejan Kulusevski playing off Alvaro Morata and also tasked with keeping close tabs on Marcelo Brozovic. In the battle of the tricky wingers, Ivan Perisic turned in an inspired performance to overshadow Juan Cuadrado, who was withdrawn in the second half.

Inter had the better of the early exchanges and the first clear-cut chance fell to Milan Skriniar, who headed Hakan Calhanoglu’s corner over the bar within five minutes of kick-off.

Inzaghi’s side did take the lead soon after when the Bosnian adjusted his body well to tap in the rebound from close range after his Turkish team-mates thunderous effort crashed against the frame of the goal. The last Inter player to get at least seven goals in his first nine Serie A games for the club was a certain Ronaldo in 1997/98.

Calhanoglu picked out Dzeko with a pinpoint ball a few minutes later, but the Bosnian was unable to set up Brozovic in space as his header went through to Wojciech Szczesny.

Inter looked for a second goal as the half wore on, but the visitors did fluff a few half chances of their own that fell to Alvaro Morata and Alex Sandro. The Nerazzurri took in a deserved one-goal lead at the interval and neither coach made any changes before the second period began.

The visitors ramped up their efforts in the second half without forcing Handanovic into many meaningful saves, while Simone Inzaghi’s side looked to protect the lead. The Nerazzurri looked to soak up the pressure and play on the break, but were pegged back by Dybala’s late spot kick after Allegri had sent on Federico Chiesa and the Argentine from the bench.

It was a disappointing end to the evening for Inter, who now have 18 points in the standings, seven off Napoli and Milan at the summit. Next up for the Nerazzurri is a midweek trip to Empoli, who recorded a 4-2 victory away to Salernitana on Saturday.

INTER 1-1 JUVENTUS (HT: 1-0) Scorers: Dzeko 17, Dybala 89 (p).

INTER (3-5-2): 1 Handanovic; 37 Skriniar, 6 De Vrij, 95 Bastoni; 36 Darmian, 23 Barella (8 Vecino, 90), 77 Brozovic, 20 Calhanoglu (5 Gagliardini, 61), 14 Perisic (2 Dumfries, 72); 9 Dzeko, 10 Lautaro (7 Sanchez, 72).Subs not used: 21 Cordaz, 97 Radu, 11 Kolarov, 12 Sensi, 13 Ranocchia, 32 Dimarco, 33 D'Ambrosio, 48 Satriano.Coach: Simone Inzaghi.

JUVENTUS (3-5-2):  1 Szczesny; 6 Danilo, 19 Bonucci, 3 Chiellini; 11 Cuadrado (10 Dybala, 65), 20 Bernardeschi (30 Bentancur, 18), 27 Locatelli (21 Kaio Jorge, 83), 14 McKennie (5 Arthur, 83), 12 Alex Sandro; 44 Kulusevski (22 Chiesa, 65), 9 Morata.Subs not used: 23 Pinsoglio, 36 Perin, 2 De Sciglio, 4 De Ligt, 8 Ramsey, 17 Pellegrini, 24 Rugani.Coach: Massimiliano Allegri.

Booked: Barella, Alex Sandro, Perisic, Chiellini.Sent off: Simone Inzaghi for dissent.Added time: 3+5 minutes.

Referee: Mariani.Assistants: Meli, Peretti.Fourth official: Ayroldi.VAR: Guida.Assistant VAR: Passeri.