Internazionale 2 - Juventus 2
Saturday 9th March 2002
Internazionale midfielder Clarence Seedorf scored with a last-minute 30-yard pile-driver to keep his side one point clear of Juventus at the top of Serie A. Seedorf had given Inter an early lead before David Trezeguet and Igor Tudor put Juve ahead.
Inter started the better of the two teams. Coach Hector Cuper surprised people by selecting Alvaro Recoba to partner Christian Vieri, with Sergio Conceicao and Seedorf on the flanks.
And Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon had to be on his mettle early on when Conceicao found Recoba, who had evaded Lilian Thuram but saw his shot smothered.
Seedorf broke the deadlock on seven minutes, thundering a drive from outside the box that Buffon could do nothing about.
Just six minutes later, Juve were level as Trezeguet headed home Gianluca Zambrott's perfect cross from the right for his 18th goal of the season.
Inter could have taken the lead again but Ivan Cordoba missed the target after Cristiano Zanetti had put him through. Thuram then deflected a Recoba cross against his own post and the San Siro crowd were convinced that they would be seeing a home win. Mark Iuliano scrambled the ball away.
Alessandro del Piero was quiet for Juventus but he reminded everyone of what he could do with delightful back-heel from another Zambrotta cross - but it was straight at Francesco Toldo.
Juventus coach countered the threat of Recoba by moving Antonio Conte into a holdig role and the move looked to have paid dividends when Zambrotta cut in from the right and lobbed Toldo only to see his effort stop short of the goal-line.
The pace of the first half was not matched in the second period, the first chance of which saw Trezeguet head a Pavel Nedved free-kick tamely at Toldo.
Del Piero twisted his ankle after a tackle with Cordoba but Lippi brought on Nicola Amoruso in place of Trezeguet, who had a knee twinge. Del Piero played on, and nearly created a goal when Tudor headed his free-kick over the bar.
Eight minutes from time, Tudor celebrated his return to Serie A by heading Nedved's free-kick from the left to secure what looked like three points.
Then Seedorf's late intervention sent the San Siro into ecstasy.
Internazionale: Toldo, J Zanetti, Cordoba, Materazzi,
Gresko, Conceicao, Di Biagio (Ventola 80), C Zanetti, Seedorf, Vieri, Recoba (Kallon 72)
Juventus: Buffon, Birindelli, Thuram (Tudor 21), Iuliano, Pessotto, Zambrotta, Davids (Tacchinardi 77), Conte, Nedved, Del Piero, Trezeguet (Amoruso 67)
Booked: Di Biagio, Cordoba, Materazzi (Inter); Conte, Nedved (Juve)
