Arsenal summer target Mauro Icardi continued his fine start to the new season, helping Inter Milan defeat Juventus in an electrifying Serie A derby.
Stephan Lichtsteiner ensured the Serie A defending champions went ahead 21 minutes after the break. Alex Sandro sent a low cross which he converted. The goal forced an immediate response from the host. Icardi equalized just two minutes later, scoring a header from a corner kick.
Croatia international Ivan Perisic came on a substitute but got the equalizer after Icardi did the work. The hosts went wild in jubilation. The joy was cut short when Ever Banega received a second yellow card. The reduction to ten men in the dying minutes put pressure on the team as Juventus tried to find an equalizer. The Juventus team with summer marquee signing Gonzalo Higuain couldn’t get to share points with Inter as the referee blew the final whistle. Higuain came off the bench but could only get one real attempt.
The game was keenly contested with the sides sharing the possession almost 50:50. Inter Milan had more shots but only three were on target. Juventus had two goals on target, but committed more fouls. The victory came at the right time for Inter as there were rumours that the management were having issues with the results under Frank de Boer. De Boer replaced Roberto Mancini this summer, but the poor start threatened his position
Inter were defeated 2-0 by Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the Europa League on home soil. The former Ajax coach had to apologize, claiming that the team “lost their heads.” The win would definitely inject confidence into the team going forward. Inter have now garnered 7 points from the four games played so far. They rise to 6th position, but Juventus remain in second place behind Napoli.