Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half brace saw Juventus come from behind to claim a 2-1 first-leg win against Inter in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. (More Football News)
Cristiano Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot and netted a first-half winner at San Siro after Lautaro Martinez gave Inter the lead.
Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half brace saw Juventus come from behind to claim a 2-1 first-leg win against Inter in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. (More Football News)
Lautaro Martinez put speculation of a new contract aside to fire Inter in front before Ronaldo emphatically dispatched a 26th-minute penalty.
There was still plenty for Ronaldo to do 10 minutes before the interval when Samir Handanovic charged out to leave his goal unguarded, yet the 35-year-old clipped home with aplomb.
Inter had the better of the second half but were unable to find a response as top scorer Romelu Lukaku served a suspension.
Gianluigi Buffon endured a moment to forget on his 1,100th career appearance as Inter took a ninth-minute lead.
Alexis Sanchez held up play shrewdly for Nicolo Barella, whose measured cross was struck first time by Martinez. Buffon got down in awkward fashion and his touch could not prevent the ball from spinning into his goal.
A VAR review gave Juventus the chance to get back on terms, with referee Gianpaolo Calvarese deciding Ashley Young had impeded Juan Cuadrado enough to award a penalty.
Ronaldo made no mistake, lashing his spot-kick high into the net.
While Handanovic had no chance on that occasion, his inexplicable decision to charge out as Alessandro Bastoni tried to shepherd a hopeful ball away from Ronaldo left the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to slot calmly into an unguarded net.
Young had a drive pushed over by Buffon early in the second half when Juve partially cleared a set-piece, while Handanovic recovered his poise to cleverly keep out a deflected Bernardeschi shot from inside the box.
This was a game where errors continued to enhance the entertainment value. In the 58th minute, a horrible touch from Rodrigo Bentancur coughed up possession to Inter on the edge of the Juve box.
Sanchez looked certain to score, with Buffon stranded, but Merih Demiral made an astonishing goal-line clearance.
Buffon rolled back the years to thwart Matteo Darmian at close quarters following fine work from Sanchez and Martinez, and the latter duo could not fashion an equaliser in Lukaku's absence.
What does it mean: Juve restate their claim as Italy's best
The limp manner in which Andrea Pirlo's side lost 2-0 to Inter at the same stadium last month in Serie A had an end-of-empire feel. Yet Juventus won all four of the intervening games between that loss and this game without conceding a goal, collecting the Supercoppa Italiana in the process. There are twists and turns to come, both in this tie and the title race, but Italian football's dominant force look to be back on song.
Ronaldo the San Siro man
At times our analysis of Ronaldo seems to avoid marvelling at the mastery of his craft in favour of coldly punching through the numbers. But when those statistics are so impressive, there is little choice.
The Portugal superstar has scored eight braces across all competitions this season, more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues. San Siro continues to prove a happy hunting ground, with three goals apiece against Milan and Inter over the course of eight games.
Shot-shy Sanchez blows a fuse
Sanchez was furious when he was booked late on for a meaty challenge on Federico Chiesa. No Inter player committed more than the Chile international's four fouls, although his failure to score from any of his three shots and add to a paltry total of two goals this season was the most dispiriting element of a tireless but fruitless performance.
Key Opta facts
- Inter have lost two of their last three games against Juventus in the Coppa Italia (W1), with both defeats coming in a semi-final first leg, after previously being undefeated for seven games in a row against them in the competition (W3 D4).
- Juventus have won three of their last four matches against Inter in all competitions (L1), scoring two goals in each game won.
- Inter have conceded at least one goal in 10 consecutive matches in the Coppa Italia for the first time since April 2000 (12 consecutive).
- Juventus have won five consecutive games in all competitions for the first time since January 2020, conceding only one goal in the process.
- Barella has been involved in each of the three goals scored by Inter against Juventus this season (1 goal, 2 assists).
What's next?
Inter travel to Fiorentina in Serie A on Friday, with Juventus in action at home to Roma a day later. The sides then reconvene in Turin for next week's second leg.