Inter Triumphs Over Juventus in Derby d’Italia Showdown

Under the Perth floodlights and on the other side of the world from San Siro, Inter still found a way to make a Derby d’Italia feel familiar: control the key moments, punish mistakes, and walk away with the win.

Federico Dimarco and Andy Diouf scored the goals in a 2-1 victory over Juventus, a friendly in name only, sharpened by debuts, auditions and a late Bianconeri surge that came up just short.

Dimarco sets the tone

Juventus arrived off the back of a 1-0 win over Chelsea, handing Kenan Yildiz his first start of the summer. Inter, who had been held 1-1 by Milan in an Australian Derby della Madonnina, rotated again, with Petar Sucic absent after flying back to Europe for the birth of his child.

The early rhythm belonged to Inter. Ange-Yoan Bonny isolated Wes McKennie down the left, skipped past him and picked his moment. His low ball across the box wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t need to be. Dimarco met it with a scuffed first-time effort from around 12 yards, steering the ball into the far bottom corner. Not clean, but clinical. Inter led.

Hakan Calhanoglu then forced Michele Di Gregorio into action with a viciously dipping free-kick. Henrikh Mkhitaryan tried his luck too, stinging the goalkeeper’s hands and pinning Juventus back.

Only then did Juve begin to bite. Douglas Luiz split the lines with a clever pass to release Andrea Cambiaso, who chose to pull the ball back instead of shooting. Yildiz followed up with a drilled effort that flashed just wide. The signs of life were there, but the equaliser was not.

Spalletti rings the changes, Inter pounce

Half-time brought a flurry of changes from Luciano Spalletti, including the Juventus debuts for Randal Kolo Muani and Kerim Alajbegovic. The narrative seemed set for a fresh Bianconeri charge.

Instead, Inter struck again.

Diouf picked up the ball on the angle and drove into the gaping space between Juan Cabal and Teun Koopmeiners. The Juventus back line opened up, and Diouf did not hesitate, smashing an angled drive at the near post. Di Gregorio turned it into a horror moment, fumbling the shot and letting it squirm under his body. A bright Inter move, a soft Juventus concession. 2-0, and the Italian champions in control.

Inter could have killed it off completely. Alajbegovic’s cross only grazed the head of Kolo Muani, and when Jamal Iddrissou rolled the ball across goal, unmarked Matteo Lavelli somehow ballooned his finish over an open net. It was a glaring miss in a game that suddenly felt stretched.

Conceição ignites late Juventus push

Juventus refused to fold. Alajbegovic burst into the box and, instead of shooting, looked for a teammate. The move fizzled, but the intent remained.

The breakthrough finally came on the left. Francisco Conceicao combined sharply with Fabio Miretti, darted into space and lashed his finish through Josep Martinez’s legs. A crisp move, a ruthless strike. With five minutes left, Juve had a lifeline.

The match flipped on its axis. Almost immediately, it was nearly 2-2. Kolo Muani slipped Alajbegovic into the area, and the youngster forced Martinez into a save as Inter’s defence scrambled.

Then came the flashpoint. Kolo Muani received the ball with his back to goal around 10 yards out, tangled with Leonardo Bovio and went to ground, appealing for a penalty. Nothing given. Inter breathed again.

Juventus kept pushing, but the clock beat them. Inter’s 2-1 win will be recorded as a pre-season friendly in Perth. The edge, the mistakes, the duels and the late drama told a different story: even on tour, the Derby d’Italia still tests nerves, exposes flaws, and hints at what might lie ahead when these two meet for points.