Winners and losers: A late goal from Cuadrado leads Juventus to a 3-2 victory versus Inter Milan

Juan Cuadrado led the way for Juventus as the fullback scored a brace and led them to a 3-2 victory versus Inter at the Allianz Stadium. The Columbian scored the game winner right before stoppage time from the spot after being awarded a penalty. It was a questionable call made on Inter wing man, Ivan Perisic, who committed a foul on the edge of the box on Cuadrado.

The Bianconeri regained the lead on three separate occasions and managed to hold off an Inter side who proved to be resilient in this match. Referee, Gianpaolo Calvarese, made numerous poor calls which affected the outcome. He awarded two first-half penalties that required VAR and sent off Juve’s Rodrigo Bentancur and Inter’s Marcelo Brozovic in the process as well.

Giorgio Chiellini’s own goal in the second half also needed VAR, which showed the centre back scored in his own net and was not held by Romelu Lukaku.

With two matches remaining in their season, Inter Milan had very little to play for as they won the Scudetto two weeks ago. With pride left to play for, that was what was at stake in the Derby D’Italia. For Juventus, they were sitting in fifth place and looking for a top four spot. Their Champions League hopes still remain and they will need Napoli or AC Milan to drop points if they’re to qualify.

So, who were the winners and losers from Inter’s 3-2 loss versus Juventus?

Photo by Claudio Villa - Inter/Inter via Getty Images

Winner: Milan Skriniar

It was another impressive performance from Milan Skriniar, who continues to be one of Inter’s most effective players in the backfield. After a disappointing season last year, he’s turned it around this year. He’s been one of Inter’s most consistent and reliable players in the backend and against Juventus provided another quality performance.

Although Inter conceded three goals (two were questionable), Skriniar was physical, made timely challenges and intercepted passes when needed. He managed to keep the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Dejan Kulusevski in check as neither player was impactful for their side. They were given little space to work with and had difficultly creating chances.

Skriniar finished the match with five clearances, three blocked shots and a pass accuracy rate of 96%. The defender has gone from a liability to a safeguard in the backend.

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Winner: Juan Cuadrado

It has been a stellar season for Cuadrado, who has been one of Juventus’ best players this season. The midfielder is third in the league in assists with ten and has delivered timely passes this year. While their defending has been questioned at times, there’s no doubt he’s been consistent on the offensive side.

With the Bianconeri desperately needing a win, the Columbian stepped up for his side and had a stellar performance. He won key challenges, made accurate crosses into the goal area and was effective with his footwork as he out dribbled his opponents on several occasions.

Throughout the course of the match, Cuadrado showed good technique and was difficult to defend against. He had good intensity and pace to his game as his speed created difficulties for Inter’s defense. The central midfielder scored a brace for his side with his second goal being the game winner. It was They were his first two goals of the season yet they came at the most important time for Juventus. He finished the match with two key passes, six fouls won, one successful dribble and a pass accuracy rate of 94.6%.

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Loser: Gianpaolo Calvarese

A match that had twists and turns along with plenty of excitement, Calvarese was the worst amongst anyone on the pitch. The refereeing in this match was terrible and affected the outcome of this match.

Brozovic and Bentancur were both sent off in this match, however, two of their yellow cards were harsh calls that led to red cards. The worst call in this match came before stoppage time as Perisic conceded a foul just on the edge of the box on Cuadrado. The wing-back did a good job defending him and committed zero contact on the midfielder. What was quite odd is that all calls were reviewed by VAR except this one. If this play had been reviewed, it may have been overturned.

This poor call in the late stages of the match ended Inter’s unbeaten streak of 21 games and kept Juventus’ Champions League hopes alive.

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Loser: Matteo Darmian

Matteo Darmian has been praised this season as he has scored key game winners and stepped up for his side in crucial moments of matches. However, he was ineffective versus Juventus as he provided very little down the left flank. He had the least touches with 19 and struggled to get involved as he lost key challenges while lacking pace as well.

Nearing the half-hour mark, Darmian conceded a penalty as the wing-back had his arm around Chiellini and took him down inside the goal area on a corner-kick. Although Ronaldo was denied from the spot, he managed to follow up on the rebound. This provided Juventus the momentum and ability to dictate the tempo of the game. The Italian was subbed off at the interval for Ivan Perisic and ended his afternoon versus Juventus.