Juventus halted Inter Milan’s bid to overtake Napoli at the top of Serie A on Sunday with a hard-fought 1-0 victory in Turin, propelling themselves into the Champions League spots.
Francisco Conceicao delivered the decisive moment 16 minutes from time, finishing with precision after an impressive setup by Randal Kolo Muani.
The Portuguese forward’s composed strike marked his fourth goal across all competitions this season and secured Juve’s third consecutive league win.
With this result, Juventus climbed to fourth place on 46 points, edging Lazio on goal difference.
Meanwhile, Napoli retained their two-point lead over reigning champions Inter after Lazio held the league leaders to a 2-2 draw on Saturday.
The title race remains finely poised, with Antonio Conte’s Napoli set to host Inter in two weeks, a fixture that could play a crucial role in determining this season’s Scudetto.
“The win tonight gives us confidence and an awareness of what we’re capable of,” said Juventus manager Thiago Motta, whose debut season in charge has presented challenges.
“They deserve it for the effort they put in during training and the fact that they give everything in every match.”
Juventus will now shift focus to their Champions League play-off return leg against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, carrying a 2-1 advantage from the first leg in Turin.
Missed Chances Cost Inter
Sunday’s clash may not have matched the thrilling 4-4 draw at the San Siro in October, but both teams created plenty of opportunities, with Inter particularly guilty of squandering key chances.
Simone Inzaghi’s men will rue their profligacy in front of goal, especially in the first half.
Lautaro Martinez had the clearest opening but fired over the bar from close range after being teed up perfectly by Denzel Dumfries 10 minutes before the break.
Dumfries was also culpable, heading over a Martinez cross in the 19th minute despite being completely unmarked. Just before half-time, he struck the post when Martinez was well-positioned in the box for a simple finish.
After the break, clear-cut opportunities were scarce until Conceicao forced a superb save from Yann Sommer before finally breaking the deadlock. His goal sent the home crowd into a frenzy, with Motta celebrating passionately on the touchline.
Inter’s last hope fell to Marcus Thuram, who was facing his brother Khephren while their father Lilian watched from the stands.
However, the French forward blazed over in the dying moments, sealing Inter’s fate.
“We’re really disappointed but the boys played well tonight,” admitted Inzaghi.
“Obviously we needed to be better in front of goal and we should have been ahead at half-time, but the approach in the second half wasn’t quite as good as in the first.”
