MILAN - Big feats require big performances and big men. You also need the odds stacked against you and an irrepressible desire to overturn them, especially when things go wrong.
In November 2012 Juventus Stadium was an unbreached fortress. The Bianconeri had not lost at their new ground since it was opened in September 2011 and the spell seemed to grow stronger with every game. Ending it was a tall order but that was the task facing Andrea Stramaccioni's side when they arrived in Turin on the back of a six-match winning streak.
The Nerazzurri were brimming with confidence but were up against their eternal rivals, the reigning champions, on their own patch with an unbeaten home record in Serie A. The Bianconeri had gone 49 matches without defeat and many were willing to bet it would be a half century after Inter.
If ever there was an acid test, this was it. One of those games where it's the men, more than the footballers, who need to stand up and be counted.
Faced with a mammoth task, Stramaccioni opted for Cassano, Milito and Palacio in a three-pronged attack - a brave move which underlined the message that nothing is impossible for Inter.
The ref blew the opening whistle and within 20 seconds Juventus took the lead.
Just when it looked like the best-laid plans might come crumbling down, Inter brushed themselves off, rallied and fought back, more determined than ever. Like when Thiago Motta was sent off at the Camp Nou. Or when Sampdoria were leading 2-0 with three minutes to go. Interisti know there's no mountain that can't be climbed and that's the attitude Stramaccioni's men showed that day.
Handanovic denied Marchisio, Palacio had a goal ruled out and Cassano curled an effort agonisingly wide. It remained 1-0 at the break but it was only a matter of time.
In the second half Diego Alberto Milito - he who scored the decisive goals in Inter's treble triumph - won and converted a penalty to level things up on the hour.
The celebrations, the fist-pumping and the roars were accompanied by dogged faces. It was clear Inter were in no mood to settle for a point. So with Gargano's mettle, Cambiasso's orchestration and the tireless engine of an evergreen Zanetti, the Nerazzurri set off again stronger than ever in search of another.
Fifteen minutes later Fredy Guarin muscled his way past Vidal and Chiellini before angling a thunderous effort at goal. Buffon could only parry it and Milito swooped to slam home the rebound.
Inter had chased, wanted and deserved the lead. Now they had it.
Juventus refused to lie down though, desperate to hold onto their unbeaten run. But they were up against opponents acutely aware of their ability and utterly convinced they could achieve what no side had done before.
The third goal came with a minute left to play and it was another Argentine, Rodrigo Palacio, who put the contest to bed with a flick of the boot that Buffon got a hand to but couldn't keep out. El Trenza made his way to the bench, where Milito, who had left the field shortly before, was waiting to hug him and celebrate the comeback that he had initiated.
Juventus 1-3 Inter was a victory achieved by a team who always believed and who knew that when you're wearing an Inter shirt, doing what no one else has done before is not so impossible after all.
Alessandro Bai
