Inter wasted a whole boatload of good chances on both ends of the halftime break, and they were made to pay as Mario Mandzukic picked out the winner in the 66th minute to give Juventus the Derby d’Italia victory.
Roberto Gagliardini was Inter’s goat of the first half, hitting the far post with a glorious chance in the 29th minute. Just ticks after the break, the visitors had a massive opportunity as Juventus muffed an attempt to build out of the back, giving the ball away right at the top of the box, but Matteo Politano saw his shot blocked.
Paulo Dybala was dangerous at times, but his finishing was less than stellar as well, with Juventus ripping off 12 shots in the first half to Inter’s five, but failed to get in front before halftime.
Yellow cards flew before the hour mark as both teams succumbed to clumsiness with Rodrigo Betancur, Ivan Perisic, and Marcelo Brozovic all finding their way into the referee’s notebook. With both teams trading long spells on the ball, Juventus found the opener as 24-year-old Portuguese full-back Joao Cancelo delivered a pinpoint ball from the left baseline onto the head of Mandzukic who beat Kwadwo Asamoah in the air.
That was all she wrote, as Inter seemed defeated by the moment, without anything of significant note from that point on. Juventus moved 11 points clear at the top of the Serie A table with the win, while Inter wastes the chance to draw level with second-placed Napoli. In addition, it leaves Inter just four points above rivals AC Milan, who sit just behind them in fourth.