Gonzalo Higuain’s late aim retains Juventus in Serie A management

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One of many wildest nights in Serie A historical past started and ended like virtually some other Italian evening over the previous seven years. It started and ended with Juventus in management. However solely after the kings of calcio seemingly perished, then got here again to life. And solely after madness.

Gonzalo Higuain’s 89th minute winner in opposition to 10-man Inter Milan saved Juve heading in the right direction for yet one more Serie A title. It despatched the Outdated Woman 4 factors away from Napoli on the prime of the league. It capped off a dramatic comeback that shouldn’t have been vital or potential.

Then once more, something appeared potential on Saturday on the San Siro.

The night started with Juventus superior. And it started with the conspiracy theorists out in full drive; with Juve on the appropriate finish of controversial refereeing; and with an air of inevitability concerning the continued reign of the six-time defending champs.

It started with a aim for Juve and a VAR-awarded pink card for Inter. With a classic Juve efficiency, the correct mix of aggressive and durable. With a 1-0 halftime lead for the guests, and seemingly with out a route again into the sport for the hosts.

However over half-hour that may finally have been acknowledged as the tip of an period, amid a cauldron of San Siro noise, Inter turned the sport on its head. Mauro Icardi equalized shortly after halftime:

13 minutes later, Ivan Perisic beat Juan Cuadrado on the left wing, and created a aim that had disbelieving Napoli followers leaping for pleasure down south. Even a draw would have put the insurgents in management; it might have ripped the title race out of Juve’s fingers. Instantly, Inter was heading in the right direction for greater than a draw; it was heading in the right direction for a outstanding win.

Inter had been so definitively second-best within the first half after Matias Vecino’s 18th-minute pink card. It fell again right into a 4-4-1, with Icardi remoted up prime. Juve’s stress prevented the hosts from supporting the Argentine striker, and left them pinned again in their very own half.

Extremely, the sport’s tide turned after halftime. Rafinha and Marcelo Brozovic have been immense in midfield. The targets have been maybe a bit fluky; the turnaround, given the circumstances, wasn’t. Ten minutes from time, it was Juventus, regardless of its man benefit, that didn’t seem able to conjuring one aim, a lot much less two

However with the sport really fizzling out, Cuadrado pegged again Inter on the different finish. His cross deflected previous Samir Handanovic from a decent angle.

Higuain accomplished the turnaround two minutes later. He left Inter – which wanted a win to bolster its top-four cost – shocked.

When the shock wears off, there shall be widespread complaints about a number of key moments. Vecino was initially proven a yellow card for a borderline deal with on Mario Mandzukic earlier than VAR controversially turned yellow right into a pink. The sending off, in fact, modified the sport.

Referee Daniele Orsato very simply may have leveled issues within the second half when Miralem Pjanic, already on a yellow, barged right into a lunging Rafinha. Orsato once more reached for his yellow, however as a substitute brandished it within the face of an Inter participant for complaining. Pjanic bought off the hook. Within the 87th and 89th minutes, so did Juve.

The Bianconeri nonetheless should go to Roma in two weeks for an additional stiff take a look at. They’ve regarded uncharacteristically fragile in protection over the previous month, and have in no way locked up a seventh consecutive Scudetto.

However for now, they’re out of the woods. Unbelievably, they’re nonetheless on prime, and shall be even when Napoli wins Sunday. A wild evening in Milan may have been the setting for his or her downfall; as a substitute, it was a scene paying homage to so many different, much less dramatic triumphs through the years. The king, for now, remains to be in energy.

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Henry Bushnell covers world soccer for Yahoo Sports activities. Have a tip? Query? Remark? E mail him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com, or observe him on Twitter @HenryBushnell, and on Fb.

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