Juventus 0 - Internazionale 0
Saturday 27th October 2001
Juventus made it five Serie A matches without a win on Saturday night as they allowed Internazionale to suffocate the midfield and hold on for a point in front of a frustrated Stadio Delle Alpi crowd.
Alessandro Del Piero came agonisingly close to ending his side's poor sequence of results when he just failed to divert home a David Trezeguet cross-shot on 87 minutes.
But that was the sum of Juve's chances in a second period notable only for its shortage of goal-mouth action.
Juventus also struggled to make any impression in the first half on an Inter defence capably protected by central midfielders Luigi Di Biagio and Cristiano Zanetti.
Edgar Davids and Pavel Nedved were shackled by the typically hardworking pair, while Juve midfielder Alessio Tacchinardi was slow to support the attack, meaning striker David Trezeguet never received the support his runs into space warranted.
On the rare occasions when Juve full-backs Gianluca Pessotto and Igor Tudor received the ball in advanced positions, their crosses invariably sailed into the grateful arms of visiting goalkeeper Francesco Toldo.
Inter only occasionally broke out of their own half, but did produce the first opportunity of the match following a Di Biagio free-kick. Ivan Cordoba found room for a shot, but blazed wastefully over.
Juventus continued to dominate possession, but did not create a clear-cut opportunity until the half-hour, when Italy midfielder Gianluca Zambrotta headed against the bar following a devilishly delivered Del Piero corner.
Nedved shot straight at Toldo from a central position, while at the other end Mohammed Kallon, enjoying a run in the side in the absence of Christian Vieri, shot too high after seizing on a Nicola Ventola knockdown.
Juventus coach Marcello Lippi removed Uruguayan hardman Paolo Montero from the centre of his defence at half-time and sent on Alessandro Birindelli to give his side more natural width.
Tudor, whose crossing was so weak in the first half, moved into the centre alongside Lilian Thuram and looked far steadier almost immediately.
But Birindelli was given little possession on the flank as Inter, already hallmarked as a Hector Cuper side by their patience in defence and sharp counter-attacking style, became even more concentrated on defence as the second half progressed.
The game grew tetchier in the final stages, Marco Materazzi going into the book for a foul on Del Piero, then Di Biagio following him for upending Tacchinardi.
Full-back Cordoba was also cautioned for a late challenge on the ineffective Nedved, who was later substituted, as Inter moved back into second place in the Italian table behind little Chievo.
Juventus: Buffon, Tudor, Thuram, Montero (Birindelli 46), Pessotto, Zambrotta, Tacchinardi, Davids, Nedved (Zenoni 87), Trezeguet, Del Piero
Inter: Toldo, J Zanetti, Cordoba, Materazzi, Gresko, Dalmat, C Zanetti, Di Biagio (Farinos 88), Guglielminpietro (Simic 61), Kallon, Ventola (Adriano 77)
Booked: Tacchinardi (Juventus); Materazzi, Di Biagio, Cordoba (Inter)
Referee: Braschi
Attendance: 53,661
