Inter Milan held to 1-1 draw in Derby d’Italia

If before the match was any indication, tensions were going to run high Saturday as Inter Milan looked to secure Champions League positioning in the Derby d’Italia.

Inter fans took the opportunity to mock Juventus prior to the match for the Old Lady’s early exit from the Champions League:

In the end, a rocket from Radja Nainggolan in the 7^th minute was canceled out by a second-half strike from Cristiano Ronaldo as the teams settled for a 1-1 draw.

It was a solid first half for the Nerazzurri, as its pace kept Juventus from gaining any traction. Finally, in the 7^th minute, Inter earned a corner where Nainggolan drilled a right-footed volley that Wojciech Szczensy got an arm on, but went off his arm and into the net.

The Nerazzurri attempted to double its lead, taking advantage of the already-established pace it had. Mauro Icardi nearly pushed one through, but Szczesny pushed it away. The subsequent corner yielded a nice header from Stefan de Vrij that the Juventus goalkeeper was able to block on the line.

Juventus struggled to maintain possession in the first half, but Federico Bernardeschi had an attempt that went over the bar while Ronaldo also had a strike that soared over the goal.

In the second half, Ivan Perisic came close to doubling the lead with a powerful shot which clanked off the near post.

But Juventus found itself midway through the half after Ronaldo drilled in a shot that de Vrij chased down. Then in the 67^th minute, Ronaldo had a give-and-go with Miralem Pjanic, who back-heeled a pass back to Ronaldo.

Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images

Ronaldo then left-footed a shot that Samir Handanovic could not come away with, tying the game 1-1.

Both teams went back and forth furiously after that.

Kwadwo Asamoah nearly had an own-goal in an attempt to chest pass back to Handanovic. Then Perisic nearly put Inter back on top with a blast from close range that Szczesny was able to push aside.

Pjanic and Emre Can had opportunities to give the Old Lady the lead, but both efforts were to no avail. Joao Mario, within a minute of coming into the match, smashed a shot off the gloves of Szczesny.

The draw moved Inter four points away from AS Roma and six points ahead of both Atalanta and AC Milan – with Milan playing at Torino Sunday and Atalanta hosting Udinese Monday.

The Nerazzurri will go back on the road to take on Udinese at 2:30 p.m. Saturday followed by a home matchup with Chievo at 3 p.m. May 13.

Inter will close out the regular season with a trip to Napoli at 2:30 p.m. May 19 and a home match on the last day of the season, May 26.

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