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Juan Cuadrado (left) scored twice against the upcoming champions Inter
Photo:
ALESSANDRO DI MARCO / EPA
In the Italian Serie A, a dramatic season finale for the Champions League places is looming.
Juventus won against Inter, who were already the champions, 3-2 (2-1), moving up from fifth to third for the time being.
Cristiano Ronaldo (24th minute) and Juan Cuadrado (45th, 88th) scored the goals for Juventus in an exciting, but partly disheveled game.
Romelo Lukaku equalized twice for Inter, first he scored himself (35th), then he forced an own goal from Giorgio Chiellini (84th).
Juves Rodrigo Bentancur (54th) and Inter Marcelo Brozović (90th) each flew off the field with yellow and red.
The main role in Turin was not played by a player, but by referee Gianpaolo Calvarese, who felt more often in the review area than both teams in front of the opposing goal.
For the first time, when Chiellini fell in a duel with Inters Matteo Darmian, Calvarese pointed to the penalty spot with the help of the video assistant and Ronaldo converted the margin of his weak penalty shot (24th).
Less than ten minutes later, Calvarese spotted a foul on the other side by Mathijs de Ligt against Lautaro Martínez, Lukaku again scored safely (35th).
Chiellini with own goal
The goal of Juves Cuadrados to the meanwhile 2-1 was the only goal in which Calvarese did not have a finger in the game (45th).
In the majority, Inter pressed the equalizer, especially Lukaku was hard to hold.
Like the equalizer, when Chiellini held on to the jersey of the Inter striker and steered the ball into his own goal.
Calvarese initially decided on a striker foul, but gave the goal after the video assistant intervened (84th).
By equalizing, Juventus threatened to gamble away the Champions League. After losing to AC Milan last week, Juve slipped to fifth, and if Juve had drawn again, both Milan and Napoli would have been enough to win two games each. But because Calvarese again decided on a penalty when Cuadrado went down very easily against Ivan Perišić (86th), it was enough for Juve to win.
In the coming week Juventus will compete in Bologna.
Milan have to play against Cagliari on Sunday and next week against Atalanta, Naples in Florence and against Hellas Verona.
Missing the Champions League would be so dramatic for Juve this season because the teams are even more dependent on the money from international business due to the loss of income in the corona crisis.
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