MILAN — Inter Milan, the reigning champions, lost their opportunity to ascend to the top of Serie A on Sunday after falling 1-0 to Juventus, a result that enhanced Juventus’ aspirations for a top-four finish.
The sole goal of the match came from Francisco Conceição in the 74th minute during a fast-paced clash known as the Derby d’Italia. Inter squandered multiple chances, remaining two points behind Napoli, who earned a 2-2 draw with Lazio on Saturday. Currently, Juventus sits in the fourth position.
Inter’s coach Simone Inzaghi expressed feelings of regret and disappointment, emphasizing the need for improvement in their finishing. “After such a strong first half, we should have gone into halftime leading,” he noted. He also acknowledged the team’s lackluster start to the second half and stressed that more effort is necessary to achieve their goals. Inter is scheduled to face Napoli in what could be a pivotal title match in two weeks. “We’ll strive to do better than we did tonight,” Inzaghi said.
In the first half, Inter had the advantage in opportunities, with Lautaro Martinez missing a clear chance from close range. However, goalkeeper Yann Sommer of Inter was required to make several crucial saves. Inter’s defender Denzel Dumfries came close, striking the post twice during the match.
Juventus broke the stalemate courtesy of a stellar assist from newcomer Randal Kolo Muani. The French striker, who previously netted five goals in three league appearances, maneuvered through a sea of defenders before making contact with the ball. Conceição seized the opportunity and launched the ball into the bottom left corner of the net. Juventus nearly extended their lead shortly after, but Dumfries successfully cleared an attempt from Teun Koopmeiners off the goal line.
The match was also referred to as the “Thuram derby,” highlighting the presence of brothers Marcus and Khéphren Thuram, with Marcus playing for Inter and Khéphren representing Juventus. However, Marcus was recovering from an ankle injury and was brought on at the 62nd minute, just before Khéphren was substituted out. Their father, Lilian Thuram, a former Juventus defender and World Cup champion, watched from the stands.
In a promising moment for struggling Como, teenager Assane Diao showcased his talent by scoring once again, leading Como to a 2-0 victory over Fiorentina in their battle against relegation. This marked Diao’s fourth goal in seven matches since joining the team from Real Betis last month, contributing to Como now being five points clear of the relegation zone. Fiorentina found themselves trailing Juventus by four points.
Como opened the scoring just before halftime with a swift counterattack. A Fiorentina free kick was cleared, allowing Diao to gather the ball deep in his own half and race forward, beating goalkeeper David De Gea. Nico Paz added a second goal for Como in the 66th minute, finding the net with a shot that slightly deflected off the top of the left post.
Roma, missing their star forward Paulo Dybala due to injury, managed to secure a 1-0 victory at Parma, who were reduced to ten men. The turning point came in the 29th minute when teenager Giovanni Leoni fouled Matías Soulé, resulting in a yellow card and an initial penalty for Roma. However, the video assistant referee intervened, declaring that the foul occurred outside the area, leading to the penalty being rescinded while Leoni’s card was upgraded to red for denying a clear goal-scoring chance. Soulé capitalized on the ensuing free kick, scoring into the top right corner.
Roma now sits nine points away from the top four, while Parma lingers just a point above the relegation zone. With Empoli currently occupying that precarious last safe position, they faced a 3-0 defeat against Udinese, marking their eighth loss in the last ten games. Alessandro Nesta made a return as coach of Monza, who had previously dismissed him two months prior, and managed to halt a four-match losing streak with a goalless draw against Lecce.
