TURIN - Inter suffered and fought to leave the Allianz Stadium with a point, remaining unbeaten this season. The match away at Juventus finished 0-0 and the Nerazzurri go up to 40 points, one ahead of Napoli who host Fiorentina tomorrow and two ahead of the Bianconeri.
The first minutes of the match saw the two teams studying one another, looking to spot the right moment to attack. The first chance was for Mandzukic in the ninth minute who made the most out of some untidy Nerazzurri defending on Cuadrado’s cross. The Croatian was at the far post and he controlled it before forcing a save from Handanovic and Miranda then cleared the follow-up effort. Both Juventus and Inter showed great attention and left little space for the opposite side. In the 29th minute, Candreva found space on the right and played in a low cross for Vecino which Chiellini read. In the 32nd minute, the Nerazzurri got down the other end in an attempt to Szczesny occupied with a good ball from Borja Valero to Perisic but his attempt to cross on the volley was inaccurate. Five minutes later, Handanovic took two attempts to save and collect a Khedira shot from the edge of the box. The main chance of the half came in the 45th minute and Mandzukic was involved again. The Juventus forward got onto Cuadrado’s cross and headed against the bar before the danger subsided and the teams went into the break with the score 0-0.
The second half began with neither side making any changes at the interval. The 52nd minute saw the home side go clos, however, as Cuadrado swung in a cross for Mandzukic who failed to control the ball at the back post. Just two minutes later, the Slovenian shot-stopper was called into action once again, as he collected yet another strike from Mandzukic. The Nerazzurri broke away four minutes later, although Icardi couldn’t direct his shot on target after a fine ball from Brozovic. Come the 60th minute, a defensive header from Perisic forced Handanovic to tip the ball over his own crossbar. Not long after Spalletti opted for his first change of the game, sending on Dalbert to replace the injured Santon. The 68th minute saw Juventus go close once again, as a fierce strike from Khedira ended up with Dalbert turning the ball out for a corner. Further substitutions soon followed, with Gagliardini replacing Candreva. With fresh legs within the team, the visitors broke away on the counter-attack in the 72nd minute, although Brozovic’s volleyed effort just missed the target. With the encounter entering its latter stages, Allegri sent on Dybala for Khedira, while Inter had yet another chance through Brozovic. Eder replaced Icardi in the final stages, while Bentancur also arrived for the hosts. However, even with these late substitutions, neither side could make the breakthrough and the Derby d’Italia ultimately ended goalless.
Saturday 16th December will see Inter return to league action at 15:00 CET, taking on Udinese in their week 17 Serie A TIM encounter. However, prior to this, the Nerazzurri must first face Pordenone in the TIM Cup on Tuesday 12th December at the San Siro (21:00 CET).
JUVENTUS-INTER 0-0
JUVENTUS: 23 Szczesny; 2 De Sciglio, 4 Benatia, 3 Chiellini, 22 Asamoah; 6 Khedira (75' 10 Dybala), 5 Pjanic (85' 30 Bentancur), 14 Matuidi; 7 Cuadrado, 9 Higuain, 12 Mandzukic
Substitutes: 16 Pinsoglio, 35 Loria, 8 Marchisio, 11 Douglas Costa, 12 Alex Sandro, 15 Barzagli, 24 Rugani, 27 Sturaro, 33 Bernardeschi
Coach: Massimiliano Allegri
INTER: 1 Handanovic; 33 D'Ambrosio, 37 Skriniar, 25 Miranda, 21 Santon (63' 29 Dalbert); 11 Vecino, 20 B. Valero; 87 Candreva (69' 5 Gagliardini), 77 Brozovic, 44 Perisic; 9 Icardi (85' 23 Eder)
Substitutes: 27 Padelli, 46 Berni, 7 Cancelo, 10 J. Mario, 13 Ranocchia, 17 Karamoh, 55 Nagatomo, 99 Pinamonti
Coach: Luciano Spalletti
Bookings: Benatia (J), Brozovic (I), Higuain (J), Perisic (I), Santon (I), D'Ambrosio (I), Vecino (I)
Added time: 1' + 3'
Referee: Valeri
Assistants: Giallatini, Dobosz
Fourth Official: Banti
VAR operators: Irrati, Meli
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