Report: Inter 2 - Juventus 2
Internazionale recovered from an early two-goal defecit to salvage pride and
a well-deserved point in this action-packed and dramatic Sunday night
fixture at the San Siro.
This Derby of Italy opened with three goals by three Frenchmen in the first
12 minutes with Juventus going ahead with early goals from David Trezeguet
and Zinedine Zidane, before Inter replied through Laurent Blanc on 12
minutes. Luigi Di Biagio's second-half free-kick brought the Milan side back
into an even but often heated match.
Referee Braschi was forced to delay kick-off as groundsmen were invited to
remove oranges pelted by Juventus fans at Inter goalkeeper Stephane Frey's
goal.
When the match finally got underway there was a further delay as Inter fans
got into the act by throwing flares onto the pitch.
The real fireworks were provided by the two teams, though, and it was
Juventus who got off to the best start with a goal in the seventh minute.
Zidane played a one-two with Alessandro Del Piero in the Inter area and cut
the ball back across the box for Trezeguet to slot home.
Two minutes later, Del Piero weaved his way past two Inter defenders and
worked enough space in the area to shoot straight at Frey.
Seconds later, after a series of rebounds on the edge of the area, Zidane
picked up the loose ball and unleashed a powerful right-foot shot that Frey
could only deflect into his own net.
Inter seemed dead and buried at this point with some of the less optimistic
San Siro supporters already heading for the exits, but the Nerazzurri pulled
themselves together and pushed forward immediately to earn two corners in
quick succession. From the second, Blanc stormed into the area to flick a
header past Edwin Van der Sar and into the net on 12 minutes.
Inter were rivitalised by the goal and with the San Siro coming back to life
they kept up the pressure on their Turin rivals.
Three minutes later Alvaro Recoba raced down down the left wing to cross
into the area, whereupon Van der Sar spilled the ball, forcing Gianluca
Pessoto into a dangerous covering clearance with Vladimir Jugovic bearing
down on him.
In the 18th minute, as is the norm in this fixture, controversy struck as
Braschi disallowed a headed goal by Cristian Vieri - adjudging Luigi Di
Biagio to have fouled Paulo Montero as the ball came in from a corner.
Montero and Di Biagio had a running battle throughout the game and Montero
was lucky not to have been sent off when he struck the Italy international
in the face.
Braschi missed the incident but, after television replays had shown the
scuffle during the interval, Inter fans jeered both the Uruguay defender and
the referee throughout the second half.
On 34 minutes, Juventus captain Antonio Conte was forced to leave the fray
with an ankle injury to be replaced by Gianluca Zambrotta.
Five minutes later Frey was forced into an excellent save when Del Piero
escaped the attentions of Ivan Cordoba to unleash a volley towards the
bottom right corner of goal, but the agile Frenchman turned the ball wide.
Del Piero threatened again on the stroke of half-time but
his shot shaved the outside of Frey's right-hand post.
The second-half had the same intensity as the first but the game became a
more scrappy affair, characterised by continual fouls in midfield.
The visitors had a chance to extend their lead when defender Mark Iuliano,
in a rare foray up front, blasted a powerful right-foot shot just wide of
the right hand post.
Vieri was becoming increasingly prominent spearheading the Inter attack and,
on 52 minutes, the powerful centre-forward chested down a long ball in the
penalty area before firing across goal from an acute angle.
Just seconds later, the Inter striker, in only his second full match after
returning from long-term injury missed a glorious chance to equalise.
Cordoba surged his way past several Juventus defenders and, from the
left-wing, squared the ball back past Van der Sar to Vieri, who just needed
to apply the finish for the simplest of tap-ins to score. But the Italy
striker somehow shinned the ball over the bar.
Minutes later, Del Piero had another chance to put Juventus further ahead
but his fierce shot was too close to Frey who just managed to hold onto the
ball with Trezeguet closing in for the kill.
Inter pulled level on 66 minutes, when Di Biagio surprised Van der Sar with
a 30-yard free-kick that took a vicious deflection off Zidane in the
Juventus wall. Juventus complained that the free-kick had been taken before
the referee had blown his whistle but Briaschi waved away the protests.
After the goal, the game slowed down as players on both sides grew tired and
Juventus seemed content to settle for the away draw.
Inter almost punished them for sitting back, though, and could have twice
snatched the win towards the end of the game. Igor Tudor deflected the ball
dangerously towards his own goal in an effort to block a Blanc shot three
minutes from time.
And another superb move involving Inter's former France international
resulted in Vieri shooting from an acute angle in the last minute of the
game when the furious Recoba was better placed for the pass.
Inter: Frey, Cordoba, Ferrari, Blanc, Zanetti, Macellari (Seedorf 59),
Jugovic, Di Biagio, Farinos (Cirillo 74), Vieri, Recoba
Juventus: Van der Sar, Iuliano, Birindelli, Montero (Tudor 66), Pessotto,
Conte (Zambrotta 34), Tacchinardi (Bacchini 84), Davids, Del Piero, Zidane,
Trezeguet
Booked: Di Biagio, Ferrari, Jugovic (Inter); Davids, Tacchinardi, Birindelli
(Juventus)
Referee: Braschi
