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Juventus kept their Champions League qualification hopes alive for another week after an important win over Inter Milan in Serie A. The game ended in a 3-2 win for the hosts with Juan Cuadrado bagging a brace. Cristiano Ronaldo also continued his goalscoring ways.
Romelu Lukaku pulled the visitors level from the penalty spot and Inter's second came through an own goal from defender Giorgio Chiellini. The action-packed game saw two red cards and three penalties and Juventus held on to their nerves to come out the better side in this must-win encounter.
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Juventus temporarily moved into fourth spot, with third-placed AC Milan and fifth-placed Napoli having a game in hand. With Andrea Pirlo's men recording a second-win on the spin, here are the five talking points from the game.
#5 Juventus continue to reign supreme in Derby d'Italia
Though Inter Milan have pipped Juventus to the Scudetto this season, when it comes to head-to-head record, the Turin giants have maintained a massive lead over the Milan-based outfit.
Tonight's win in the five-goal thriller was their sixth victory over Inter in nine games. Inter recorded a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture earlier this season but came up short in this away fixture.
While the loss did not matter to champions Inter, the three points from this game would go a long way in keeping Juventus in the race for a top-four finish.
#4 Penalties galore as three goals were scored from 12 yards out
Juventus and Inter Milan scored three goals from penalties tonight. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring from the spot, though his initial effort was saved by Samir Handanovic and he converted the rebound.
Lukaku equalized for the visitors from the penalty spot after Lautaro Martinez was brought down in the box by Matthijs De Ligt. While five goals were scored tonight, only two came from open play.
Just when it seemed Chiellini's own goal had determined the fate of the game as a draw, Juventus were awarded their second penalty of the night and that too in the 88th minute.
Juan Cuadrado made no mistake in converting from the spot and handed the hosts' a crucial win.
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#3 Big names step up for Juventus and Inter Milan
Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku were both on target for Juventus and Inter Milan respectively. This was the biggest game of the week in the Italian top-flight and did not disappoint.
Big players are expected to deliver results in crucial fixtures and when you have two of the league's leading goalscorers in action, they are expected to be the first names on the scoresheet.
While both of their goals came from the penalty spot, the duo will be more than happy to have added one more to their goal tallies for the season.
#2 Both teams reduced to 10-men by the time final whistle was blown
The game saw a lot of drama. The match officials were kept very busy. Not only were two penalty decisions awarded after long consultations with the VAR, but the officials also brandished two red cards tonight.
The recipient of the first was Juventus' Rodrigo Bentancur. He picked up the second yellow card of the game in just the 55th minute when he went shoulder-to-shoulder with Lukaku for a challenge and shoved him onto the ground.
He was given marching orders, leaving Juventus with 10 men for the last 35 minutes of the game. There was late drama awaiting us as Marcelo Brozovic picked up two yellow cards in quick succession, mostly due to losing his calm on conceding the third goal late in the game.
His first yellow card was for arguing with officials after Juan Cuadrado had restored Juve's one-goal lead while his second of the night was due to a nasty tackle on Cuadrado.
#1 Juventus clinging on to slender Champions League qualification hopes
For Juventus, this was a must-win game as dropping points here would've confirmed their Europa League status. Their final game of the season against Bologna is also a must-win. The fact is, their Champions League qualification will not be guaranteed even after a win against Bologna.
For them to finish in the top four, they need either AC Milan or Napoli to drop points in their last two games of the season. A win over the recently crowned champions will definitely be a boost for them and would've given them enough confidence to end their campaign with a win over Bologna next week.
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