On this day 20 years ago, Juventus beat Inter 1-0 in a controversial match at the Stadio delle Alpi.
The Bianconeri were defending champions, but led Serie A by just one point from Luigi Simoni’s side when the two met with four games remaining.
The hosts opened the scoring after 21 minutes, thanks to a goal from top-scorer Alessandro Del Piero.
Picking up the ball in his trademark position out on the left wing, the young forward surged in to the Nerazzurri box.
On this day 20 years ago, Juventus beat Inter 1-0 in a controversial match at the Stadio delle Alpi.
The Bianconeri were defending champions, but led Serie A by just one point from Luigi Simoni’s side when the two met with four games remaining.
The hosts opened the scoring after 21 minutes, thanks to a goal from top-scorer Alessandro Del Piero.
Picking up the ball in his trademark position out on the left wing, the young forward surged in to the Nerazzurri box.
Time and again ‘Pinturicchio’ would then curl the ball into to the far top corner, but this time he looked to go outside Salvatore Fresi.
Del Piero failed to connect properly with a left-footed cross, but that allowed him to shift the ball on to his right foot, and he curled the ball into the far bottom corner to give Juventus a crucial lead.
The match had been billed as Del Piero vs Ronaldo, and the Brazilian was looking dangerous at the other end as the teams went in to half-time.
It’s the second half for which this match is still remembered 20 years later, with one of the most controversial refereeing incidents in the history of a league which has had more than most.
With the game getting increasingly heated, several players were given bookings for niggly fouls.
Then, with just under 70 minutes on the clock, Ivan Zambrano and Alessandro Birindelli both went for a ball in the box.
Neither connected, but the ball fell for Brazilian superstar Ronaldo, with Gianluca Pessotto rushing across to clear the loose ball.
Il Fenomeno poked the ball with his right foot, before looking to accelerate on to it.
However, Pessotto was blocking his path and the number 10 ran straight in to him, with the Nerazzurri players screaming for a penalty.
Juve, meanwhile, had played on and Edgar Davids sprayed the ball out to Zinedine Zidane on the left flank.
The Frenchman held it up, before finding Del Piero with a lovely reverse ball.
The forward took a touch, before being clattered by Taribo West. This time, Piero Ceccarini pointed to the spot.
Around 15 seconds had passed between the two incidents, and Inter were furious, with Simoni having to be restrained as he looked to confront the referee on the pitch, an action which unsurprisingly saw him sent to the stands.
His assistant, Sergio Pini, was also later dismissed.
Del Piero missed the resulting spot kick, but Juve held on to win the game and the match went down in infamy for the black-and-blue half of Milan.
Simoni maintains to this day that Ronaldo should have had a penalty, and that being given the decision would have changed the course of his side’s season – and indeed his own career.
The match prompted a brawl in the Italian parliament three days later, with the session having to be suspended as Domenico Gramazio of the far-right National Alliance had to be held back as he attempted to attack Massimo Mauro, a former Juve player and deputy for the ruling Democrats of the Left.
For his part, Ceccarini stands by his decision, stating this year that he should have given a foul to Juventus rather than playing on.