As reigning champions Juventus head to the Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday night for the first Derby d’Italia of the season, they do so somewhat surprisingly trailing opponents Inter by eight points in Serie A. Kevin Pogorzelski takes a look back at the February 2005 clash.
Turning the clock back 10 seasons, it was the Nerazzurri trying to reduce the Old Lady’s similar lead in the Scudetto race that saw one of the more memorable encounters of recent times.
With Inter also then led by current coach Roberto Mancini, veteran Fabio Capello was on the Bianconeri bench as they topped the table nine points ahead of the Biscione and neighbours AC Milan.
Chasing a second consecutive league title, Juventus had lost just one game all campaign, but as that had come at the San Siro against the Rossoneri, the Turin giants made the trip to Milan with caution.
Being played two days before Valentine’s Day, it was clear there is rarely any love shown for one another in this fixture, however, a fiercely contested encounter ended without a single caution.
As league positions predicted, the visitors had the better of the early exchanges. Juventus’ Emerson forcing Julio Cesar into a save with a long-range effort and David Trezeguet seeing a looping header cleared off the line by Ivan Cordoba.
However, the Nerazzurri began to force their way back into the game as the first-half ended, with Luis Figo their main attacking threat down the right side.
In the second period the hosts should have taken the lead, Obafemi Martins sending in a low cross via a Fabio Cannavaro deflection, but as Adriano arrived to stroke home defender Lilian Thuram expertly timed a late lunging challenge to avert the danger.
The deadlock was finally broken with 27 minutes remaining, Zlatan Ibrahimovic tapping home a Mauro Camoranesi cross from close range. His reward, being replaced by Alessandro Del Piero.
The move appeared to backfire, as within four minutes of his arrival Inter’s Walter Samuel rose to head a corner past Gianluigi Buffon and level the scores.
Yet, after going close with a free-kick from a tight angle, Del Piero became the hero in the 85th minute as he sent a swerving drive past their Brazilian goalkeeper at tremendous pace.
As the Italian peeled away in celebration towards the Juventus bench, the emotionless statue-like stance maintained by Capello was almost as memorable as the strike.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCbj9jK33cc[/youtube]
With their lead extended over the Milan duo to 12 points, any title challenge was already over in February, and the Old Lady remained unbeaten for the rest of the campaign and went on to lift the Scudetto with a massive 91 points.
However, although the Rossoneri kept up their chase to finish just three points behind, the 15 point gap between Inter and the Bianconeri would have been difficult for Mancini to swallow.
The final twist was yet to come, though, as Juventus and Milan were punished amid the fallout from the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.
Victory back at the San Siro suddenly became an irrelevant milestone within the 2005-06 campaign, as the Bianconeri were relegated and Inter awarded their title.
Adding to their sense of injustice and an already intense rivalry, the Old Lady lost two of the key players from that triumph to the Nerazzurri that summer, Patrick Vieira and goalscorer Ibrahimovic.
Looking on from Serie B the following year, the club and their fans were forced to watch Inter begin a period of dominance that culminated in the 2010 treble – a feat Juventus were so close to equalling themselves last term.
Given the fallout from that season a decade ago, and the subsequent success it brought their bitter rivals from Milan, it probably fueled the Turin club’s drive to become the overwhelming force in Italian football it has become in recent years.
