What a night it was at San Siro! Goals, emotions, red cards, and so many, many controversies. Inter wins the Derby d’Italia 3-2, moves back to +8 over Milan, and returns to claiming 3 points in a big match.

Juve, however, leaves the field with their heads held high, playing with ten men for more than half the match but never giving up. In fact, in the 85th minute they even found the strength to equalize with a goal from Locatelli, only to collapse after Zielinski’s masterpiece.

At the end of the match, however, the spotlight turned to the mixed zone. There, the Bianconeri chose not to send Spalletti, as a sign of protest against referee La Penna’s decisions, instead appearing with CEO Comolli and Giorgio Chiellini: “Embarrassing, it’s hard to talk about football. A match watched by the whole world was ruined.” That, in short, was their sentiment.

Chivu’s comment, however, was different, as he wanted to point out that, in reality, Kalulu did commit a foul: “For me it’s a light touch, but it’s a touch. When I suffered minor injustices, I taught my players not to put the referee in a difficult position. It’s his decision.” 

📰 Newspapers in Agreement

The press review seems to side more with the Bianconeri management than with the Nerazzurri coach.

La Gazzetta dello Sport, with today’s headline “Inter Escapes, Juve Fury,” gives La Penna’s performance a 4: “The Kalulu-Bastoni incident sets a precedent: but it’s time to introduce VAR as soon as possible for such an absurd second yellow.”

Corriere dello Sport, on the other hand, is even more direct, opening its edition with a photo of La Penna on the front page, accompanied by the caption “The Damage.”

Their match rating for Corriere is a 4.5: “The second yellow for Kalulu was wrong: Bastoni gets there first, Kalulu tries to stop him by extending his left arm onto his body. More than that, though, it’s the Nerazzurro who causes Bastoni to fall by planting his feet (especially his left) and falling forward; if it had been a real hold, he would have fallen sideways or backward. We’re at the limits of simulation, and Bastoni was already booked… The first yellow is fair but not outrageous: late on Barella who had beaten him to the ball.”

Tuttosport is also aligned, opening with an ironic “Easy, like this.”

“Barely touched, Bastoni simulates a non-existent foul and then celebrates boisterously at the second yellow shown by the inadequate La Penna.”

🌎 CBS Sports Goes Against the Grain

The main theme of the post-match was how such an incident should have been avoided, especially since yesterday, at the Meazza, the eyes of the world were upon us. Well, according to CBS Sports, there are those who see it differently.

The American broadcaster, in fact, provided an explanation that seems to support Chivu’s statements:

“In the end, Kalulu forces the referee to make that decision. La Penna isn’t perfectly positioned, everything is difficult and makes you think Kalulu could never have come out on the right side. We have time and 4/5 cameras, the referee does not. In the moment, everything suggests it’s a yellow card, so the question is why does he intervene and force the referee’s decision, not whether it’s a yellow or not.”

However you see it, it wasn’t a great advertisement for Serie A. Bastoni’s celebration was certainly not an example of fair play, nor were Comolli’s vehement—and exaggerated—protests at halftime, with the Juventus CEO held back by three collaborators, including Spalletti, and just a step away from attacking referee La Penna.

This too, especially this, was Inter-Juventus. And it’s a shame that no one will remember Di Gregorio’s error, Inter’s two shots off the post, an excellent Juve, and the five goals that—those, at least—gave us plenty of entertainment.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.