Juventus managed to get away with a point at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza against Inter, adding one more chapter to the books of controversies between the Nerazzurri and the Bianconeri, writes Lorenzo Bettoni at San Siro.
Watching Inter-Juventus, one had the feeling that points are already heavy in Serie A, despite only being in October.
Both teams wanted to win without losing their balance. The Nerazzurri almost got the three points using Juventus’ weapons: score, defend, hit on the counter.
Simone Inzaghi’s plan was almost perfect as the Nerazzurri scored an early goal with Edin Dzeko. They conceded little to Juventus, defending well throughout the game, but a late penalty kick from Paulo Dybala spoiled what seemed to be an impeccable programme.
That spot-kick will be the most debated incident among Serie A fans during the next few days.
Denzel Dumfries went in late to clear from Alex Sandro and caught the Brazilian on the boot. The referee waved to play on, but after more than one minute, he was called by VAR to view it again.
Serie A | Inter 1-1 Juventus: Dybala pen decides Derby d’Italia
At that point, Mariani assigned a penalty kick to the Bianconeri, which Dybala converted on his return to action after an injury, netting his fourth goal across all competitions this season.
Many things can be said about such a challenge. Did Dumfries hit Alex Sandro? Yes. Was the contact worth a penalty? Not sure. Was it a clear and obvious error by the referee, so that VAR had to call him? Probably not.
Had Inter-Juve been a Premier League or Champions League game, the referee would not have been called to make that VAR check.
The debate on which model is better is wide open, but it is a fact that, regardless of Inter-Juventus, VAR is used more often in Serie A than in other leagues and European competitions.
Surely, Inter must have regrets about not taking all three points and not just for that spot-kick.
The Nerazzurri remain seven points behind leaders Napoli and Milan, but there are questions regarding Inzaghi’s use of substitutions, especially tonight.
Furious Inzaghi sent off after penalty decision in Inter-Juventus
The Serie A champions could have killed off the game earlier, they were in control for a long time, while Juventus became dangerous only in the second part of the match when Massimiliano Allegri introduced Federico Chiesa and Dybala.
The Italian coach had expected ‘a physical match’ and for this reason, he decided to start Chiesa on the bench.
However, the Italian starlet changed the game with his pace and his unpredictability, creating trouble for the Nerazzurri who felt the three points could slip from their hands as soon as they saw Chiesa and Dybala come in.
Inzaghi is right when he says Juventus could only score from a penalty kick. That’s the feeling the Old Lady gave tonight.
The Bianconeri give their best when they are not forced to play out from the back. They thrive in counter-attacks and that’s how they can be dangerous against any opponent.
When they find opponents sitting deep, they struggle to find a way through. Partially because they don’t have a top-class centre forward and partially because they don’t have many midfielders who run into open spaces.
A defeat would have destroyed their title hopes, while one point still sees them sit ten points off leaders Napoli and one off Roma in fourth.
Both Juventus and Inter have their problems, but the big talking point about the game will always be that controversial spot-kick and that’s hardly a surprise when it comes to Juventus-Inter.
Even their last meeting in May ended with huge arguments as Juan Cuadrado earned a penalty that eventually proved to be crucial for Juve’s Champions League qualification last season.
But there are plenty of refereeing incidents that have made history, the most eminent remains the famous contact between Mark Iuliano and Ronaldo in 1998.
It’s part of history and tonight a new chapter of the book was written. Juventus and Inter will soon have to forget about it to achieve their goals, because both teams proved they still have plenty of work to do to get up there with Milan and Napoli.
@lorebetto
plenty of times Juventus have had goals brought back for earlier fouls taken off them and no `cointroversy` in the press. no controversy. a draw.
It is only a controversy because it is Juve. It was a foul, it was on the line, and so it was a penalty. What is the controversy?
It was a contact and clear penalty. The VAR did intervene as the ref didn’t see that, it’s why VAR is supposed to do.
Last season, the same scene (De Ligt unintentionally kicked Martinez) was reviewed by VAR and Inter was given a penalty; the second yellow of Bentancur was unreasonable, which left Juve a player down for almost 30 minutes, and now you are talking about the Cuadrado penalty!! Presic hit Cuadrado’s leg, but calls against Juve are ok but in favour of Juve is a problem!!!
You are such a sore loser Inter fan, Lorenzo! What controversy you want to make? A contact, in the penalty area, a clear foul, that’s it! It should’ve been controversial not giving the penalty, indeed. But you made your norm, writing just for the sake of it. Next time, try to be professional, or write this kind of “article” on Inter’s blog pages, not on Football Italia.
As an Inter supporter: it did not seem much and ref considered the same. Then VAR called and contact seemed to be on the line, which means a penalty.
Inter dominated the whole game and they clearly wanted to close at 1-0. Which is not always enough, especially when you have players like Chiesa and Dybala coming in, while you put on Gagliardini and Vecino…. I just hope Inzaghi is not a coward like Spalletti was playing for 1 goal difference and then praying not to concede.
Dumfries the boom finally activated!! lol
Should be sub on Dimarco.
Inter dominated the first half with real intensity and Juve dominated the backwards and sideways passing with no purpose in the second half. The fact is Inter got a little lucky as the goal might have been offside, same for Juve with a soft penalty. However it is clear that Inter is the superior team. Juventus look lost and have no real purpose or idea in what to do with the ball. With Ronaldo it was give the ball to him and let him work is old magic. Now it is even more clueless. The man of the match is Allegri for benching his best player and only bringing him on at the 65th minute.
“Was it a clear and obvious error by the referee, so that VAR had to call him? Probably not.” – VAR gets the ref to look at any potential penalty incident that the ref misses. If whoever’s doing the VAR side looks at that and thinks, “The Inter player has kicked the Juve player’s foot in the box, which is a foul and therefore a penalty”, he is right to call the ref over to have a look. If the ref doesn’t think it’s a foul, he won’t assign a penalty. This is hardly new, this whole “VAR calling the ref to look at a potential penalty incident he missed” happens day in day out. It’s not controversial. In fact based on my watching experience (since I can’t be bothered to read VAR rules), the “clear and obvious error” only applies to actions the ref has taken (e.g. awarding a penalty), not to a missed action.