Edin Dzeko and Matteo Darmian both impressed for Inter Milan but Juventus shared the spoils thanks to late penalty by Paulo Dybala.
The standout tie of the Serie A weekend between Inter Milan and Juventus ended in a draw at the San Siro on Sunday night. The home side started the game well and were the better team in the first half.
Veteran striker Edin Dzeko’s 17th minute strike saw the Nerazzurri take the lead on the night. The Bosnian showed good awareness to bury the rebound after Hakan Calhanoglu’s effort bounded off the bar.
Juventus showed more effort after the break and made a game of it. Both Ivan Perisic and Alvaro Morata had decent chances but neither of them had their shooting boots on. The game appeared to be heading towards a narrow 1-0 win for Inter before VAR chose to intervene.
Denzel Dumfries’s 89th-minute effort to clear the ball saw him strike Sandro, bringing him down. VAR urged the match official to take a look and he duly obliged by awarding Juventus a penalty. Paulo Dybala stepped up and made no mistake to ensure the Old Lady also received a share of the spoils.
Inter decided to sit back for the second half and can only blame themselves for not taking all three points. Juventus meanwhile keep their unbeaten run going and will take the welcome point following a poor performance. The Hard Tackle now takes a look at how both sets of players fared on the night.
Inter Milan
Samir Handanovic: 6/10
He looked shaky from the beginning but thankfully had little to do on the night. The veteran was alert to deny Alvaro Morata when the score was still goalless. Guessed wrong for Dybala’s penalty as the Argentine slotted it home easily.
Milan Skriniar: 6/10
Led the defence well in what was an improvement over his performance against Sheriff Tiraspol. Marshalled the Juventus attack well but saw his woeful passing let him down at times.
Stefan De Vrij: 6/10
The Dutchman caused concern when he went down early with an injury. Thankfully he shook it off and was able to resume his role in defence. Anchored the backline well and rarely let the opponents get past him.
Stefan de Vrij: “We’re so disappointed about the result. We were so close to victory, but we’re pleased with our performance. We played our game.”
— Inter Xtra (@Inter_Xtra) October 24, 2021
Alessandro Bastoni: 6/10
The youngster continues to impress and was solid and resolute at the back. Showed off his excellent positioning on the night but failed to contribute much to the attack.
Matteo Darmian: 7/10
The Italian veteran replaced Denzel Dumfries in the starting XI and it proved to be an inspired decision. Darmian is impressed at both ends of the pitch and is turning into a dependable plyer for Stefano Pioli.
Nicolo Barella: 6/10
The Italian international started the game slowly but steadily improved the longer it went on. Showed up everywhere on the pitch in the second half but saw himself drained off energy towards the end. Came off for Matias Vecino in the 90th minute.
Marcelo Brozovic: 6/10
Inter’s lynchpin in midfield both offensively and defensively. He is a key part of the Nerazzurri puzzle and showed again why the Italians should extend his contract at the San Siro. He also good his experience and awareness to shrug off Dejan Kulusevski who was proving to be a thorn in his side.
Hakan Calhanoglu: 6/10
The Turkish international had moments of brilliance and saw one such incident lead to his side’s opener on the night. He however failed to sustain it for the length of the game and should be disappointed by the performance overall.
until Calhanoglu arrived, Inter were below average on set pieces and he’s barely contributed
— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) October 21, 2021
Ivan Perisic: 6/10
A key player for Inter when fit and on form, the Croat showed off his quality when possible. He showed intent not just in attack but also in tracking back to defend. Should have done better with his opportunity in the second half and could have sealed the game for Inter.
Lautaro Martinez: 6/10
A rather underwhelming performance by the Argentine ace. His responsibilities on the day were largely defensive but was ready to do so for the team. He will have better nights for the Blue and Black but Sunday was not it.
Edin Dzeko: 7/10
The 35-year-old rolled back the years in a performance that belied his age. He not only scored his team’s goal on the night but also worked tirelessly to defend from the front. Inter’s best player on the night, Dzeko is setting the right example for his teammates.
5 – Edin #Dzeko has scored 5 goals in his first 4 home seasonal apperances in Serie A this season: in the 3 points per win era only Mauro Icardi in 2017/18 and Marco Branca in 1995/96 have netted more with Inter after 4 games played at home (6 goals). Boom.#InterJuventus #SerieA pic.twitter.com/WjAegmBzEi
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) October 24, 2021
SUBSTITUTES
Roberto Gagliardini: 6/10
Replaced Calhanoglu in the 61st minute and added defensive solidity to the Inter lineup. Didn’t do anything particularly wrong and looked assured on the field.
Alexis Sanchez: 6/10
The Chilean replaced the industrious Martinez and looked good. He kept the ball well as Inter looked to see out the game. Unfortunately, it was not enough.
Denzel Dumfries: 5/10
The young Dutchman followed up on his excellent showing against Sheriff Tiraspol with a poor outing against Juventus. He replaced Ivan Perisic in the 72nd minute and had a bad game. A poor tackle on Sandro gave Juventus a penalty in the dying minutes.
Matias Vecino: N/A
Replaced the exhausted Nicolo Barella in stoppage time but did not have enough time to make an impact.
Juventus
Wojciech Szczesny: 6/10
Made a good attempt in trying to save Hakan Calhanoglu’s excellent first-half effort. Unfortunately, he was left stranded when it struck the vat and fell kindly for Eden Dzeko. Had little to do otherwise as Inter adopted a defence-first approach.
Danilo: 5/10
Didn’t exactly look comfortable playing in a largely defensive role. He nonetheless made a decisive late tackle on Edin Dzeko as the Bosnian looked to break through.
Leonardo Bonucci: 6/10
The veteran looked assured at the back and appeared intent to start attacks from the back. His passing however was not on point and will need improvement in the coming games.
Giorgio Chiellini: 6/10
The Italian also had little to do in defence despite playing the Serie A’s top scorers. He threatened on set pieces but had little to do defensively for most of the night.
Juan Cuadrado: 6/10
The Colombian was one of Juventus’s brightest players going forward. He was however unable to create many clear cut chances and was largely restricted to 50/50 attempts.
Weston McKennie: 5/10
The youngster didn’t particularly impress and was largely bypassed by the Inter players. he did his best will need to up his game considerably.
Manuel Locatelli: 5/10
An uneventful return for the former AC Milan star to the San Siro. He did his best to connect the attack to the defence but was unable to achieve it. An important player for Juventus going forward.
Federico Bernardeschi: N/A
Forced off with a shoulder injury in the 17th minute. Was unable to continue and was replaced by Rodrigo Bentancur.
Alex Sandro: 6/10
A poor outing by the Brazilian who failed to do much either in attack or defence. He redeemed himself late on by winning the spot-kick that Dybala converted from. Will need to up his game if he is to keep Mattia De Siglio at bay. Also picked up an unnecessary yellow for a tackle on Nicolo Barella.
Dejan Kulusevski: 4/10
The hero from Zenit, Kulusevski failed to make the most of his start against Juventus. He looked off the pace and failed to take advantage of any chances that fell his way.
Alvaro Morata: 5/10
The Spanish striker had an early effort on goal but failed to create much otherwise. Another disappointing night for a player struggling to capture his best form.
SUBSTITUTES
Rodrigo Bentancur: 6/10
Replaced the unfortunate Bernardeschi early on and did his best to impact proceedings. Not his best night and was largely unimpactful at both ends of the pitch.
Paulo Dybala: 7/10
The Argentine star added more intent to the Juventus attack after replacing Cuadrado in the 65th minute. Showed nerves of steel to slot home the late penalty with ease.
Federico Chiesa: 5/10
Juventus’s best attacker when on form, the Italian replaced Kulusevski in the second half. However, t was one of his nights off as he struggled to impose himself and was largely invisible.
1 – Paulo #Dybala is the first Juventus' player to score in three consecutive matches against Inter in Serie A in the three points per win era (since 1994/95). Fury.#InterJuventus #SerieA pic.twitter.com/eiHUxQPtD6
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) October 24, 2021
Arthur Melo: N/A
Replaced McKennie in the 83rd minute. Had little to do but helped Juventus get back into the game.
Kaio Jorge: N/A
Came on for the tiring Locatelli late on. Little time to make an impact.
