07.12.2018 » Juventus 1-0 Inter. Another rival taken out of the way!

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Juventus battled against one of their toughest opponents of the season tonight, as they hosted and defeated Inter by 1-0. The winning goal was scored by Mario Mandzukic deep inside the second half and it allows the Vecchia Signora to build a 14-point lead in the Serie A over one of their main rivals for the "Scudetto".

It certainly wasn't an easy game for Juventus this Friday night, with Inter coming to town and bringing a sheer amount of determination to deliver the hosts their first loss in the league this season. However, the Italian champions have built a true fortress at home and it doesn't seem likely they're going to get beaten by anyone in Italy this year, at least when playing in Turin. The Nerazzurri created a lot of trouble for Massimiliano Allegri's men, but in the end, the Italian champions prevailed with a 1-0 win, thanks to another clean sheet and a goal from Mario Mandzukic in the 66th minute of the game. Juventus now holds a 11-point lead over 2nd placed Napoli and 14 points over 3rd placed Inter.

Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Juventus vs Inter
Juventus 1-0 Inter - Goals and highlights:

All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Inter:

A derby decided by a single goal

The "Derby d'Italia" ended with a result that has become all too familiar for Juventus this season, another victory and another clean sheet. What's so interesting about Juventus this season is that there seems to be a pattern to their matches, teams play well against the Italian champions, but fail to take their chances. Juventus eventually always finds a way to capitalize and seal off the game.

It's clockwork and Juventus seems to have perfected the formula. Today's match was supposed to potentially showcase some cracks in the Juve formula, but Inter spurned chance after chance and Juventus held on to win the match.

The second half really pushed this point home, as Juventus were dominant during that time. And on the 66th minute, Juventus would finally seal the game. Mario Mandzukic, who is enjoying one of the best goal-scoring seasons of his career so far, finished a cross from João Cancelo with a close-range header. Inter were unable to hit the target in a few chances later in the game...

Chiellini carried Juventus on his back

Today, all the credit goes to Giorgio Chiellini, who had a phenomenal game at the match and was certainly the man of the match at the back for the Old Lady. Chiellini has been a world class defender for many years, but it's time he gets his recognition. He was everywhere whenever Juventus needed him and always seemed to be in the right place throughout the match.

It was, however, a down game for Cristiano Ronaldo. He was all over the pitch and put in a good effort, but it's beginning to look like he may need a rest soon and with the way Juventus is playing, there's a good argument that he should get some time off sooner rather than later to prepare for the end of the season.

It's still December, but it's beginning to look like Juventus will wrap up Serie A perhaps even earlier than usual. Will they be able to maintain their level of focus for the Champions League when they aren't being pushed in the league. We've seen this happen to Bayern Munich in recent years, so it will be something that Allegri has to pay attention to going ahead.

Author: Terrance Ross

Juventus line-up vs Inter:

Goalkeeper: Szczesny
Defenders: De Sciglio, Chiellini, Bonucci, Cancelo
Midfielders: Matuidi, Pjanic, Bentancur
Attackers: Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mandzukic.

Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Juventus is on December 12 of 2018 against Young Boys. You can watch Young Boys vs Juventus, West Ham vs Crystal Palace, Bournemouth vs Liverpool, Manchester United vs Fulham, Arsenal vs Huddersfield Town, and Chelsea vs Manchester City, all matches provided from our football live game pages.

Juventus next game:
Young Boys vs Juventus kick-off time (12-12-2018):

Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 03:00
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 02:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:30
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+1: 21:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 21:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 20:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 17:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 16:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 13:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net / juventus.com / inter.it / espn.com

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