Inter Defeats Juventus 2-1 in Australian Derby d’Italia
Inter took the honours in Perth’s version of the Derby d’Italia, beating Juventus 2-1 in a friendly that felt anything but gentle, with Federico Dimarco and Andy Diouf on target before Francisco Conceição’s late reply.
On paper, it was a pre-season run-out. On the pitch, it looked like old grudges packed into a winter tour.
Juventus handed debuts to Kerim Alajbegovic and Randal Kolo Muani and a first summer start to Kenan Yildiz, fresh from their 1-0 win over Chelsea. Inter arrived off the back of a 1-1 draw with Milan in an Australian Derby della Madonnina, without Petar Sucic, who had flown back to Europe for the birth of his child.
The stands wanted a show. Inter obliged first.
Dimarco strikes, Inter seize early control
The opener came from the left, with Juventus sliced open far too easily. Ange-Yoan Bonny burned past Weston McKennie down the flank and picked his moment, sliding the ball across the box. Dimarco arrived, scuffed the first-time finish from 12 yards, but still guided it into the far bottom corner. Not pretty, but ruthless.
Inter’s confidence grew. Hakan Calhanoglu stepped up over a free kick and whipped in one of those dipping efforts that always looks destined for the top corner. Michele Di Gregorio read it, shuffled across, and beat it away. Henrikh Mkhitaryan tried his luck as well, forcing the Juventus goalkeeper into more work from distance.
Juventus needed a response and finally found some rhythm. Douglas Luiz split the lines with a clever pass that sent Andrea Cambiaso clear. Instead of shooting, Cambiaso tried to square it and the chance fizzled. Yildiz then drilled just wide from the edge of the area, a reminder that the Bianconeri had more than tourists in attack.
Dimarco’s goal remained the difference at the break, but the game was starting to tilt.
Spalletti shuffles the pack, Diouf punishes Juve
Half-time brought a wave of changes from Luciano Spalletti, including long-awaited debuts for Kolo Muani and Alajbegovic. The fresh legs added pace and intent to Juventus, but the next decisive moment came at the other end.
Inter doubled their lead with a move that will irritate Juventus for days. Diouf surged into a huge gap between Juan Cabal and Teun Koopmeiners, the defence parting in front of him. His angled drive at the near post should have been routine for Di Gregorio. Instead, the goalkeeper misjudged it badly, fumbling and letting the ball squirm under his body and over the line.
A slick Inter move, a thudding finish, and a comical error. Two goals down, Juventus were suddenly chasing shadows.
Inter could have killed it off. Alajbegovic’s cross from the right just brushed the head of Kolo Muani, who had peeled away cleverly. Moments later, Jamal Iddrissou rolled the ball across the face of goal to Matteo Lavelli, unmarked and staring at an open net. Lavelli leaned back and ballooned the chance over, a glaring miss that kept Juventus alive.
Conceição ignites late push, Juve fall just short
The closing stages belonged to the newcomers in black and white. Alajbegovic drove into the box with purpose but chose to square instead of pulling the trigger, a hesitation that summed up Juventus’ evening.
Then came the lifeline.
Conceição combined sharply with Fabio Miretti on the left, sprinted into space and lashed his finish low and hard through Josep Martinez’s legs. A clean, aggressive strike. Juventus had their goal, and suddenly the friendly had an edge again.
The reaction was instant. Alajbegovic, growing into the game, took a lay-off from Kolo Muani and forced Martinez into a save as Inter’s back line wobbled. The pressure rose, and with it, controversy.
Kolo Muani took up a central position, tried to spin Leonardo Bovio inside the box and went down under contact as he turned from around 10 yards. He wanted a penalty, arms out, protests loud. The referee waved play on. No spot-kick, no equaliser.
Inter saw out the final minutes, clinging to their 2-1 lead and taking a psychological edge from this distant Derby d’Italia. For Juventus, the night ends with a defeat, but also with a glimpse of what their new faces might become once the real season starts and these friendlies turn into points.
