Juventus 1, Inter 0 (April 1998)

HAD REFEREE PIERO CECCARINI awarded Inter a penalty in the second half of this April 1998 title decider at Juventus, the Nerazzurri could've gone on to win the Scudetto. They entered the game a single point behind Juventus with three games to play but left with a wider four-point deficit they couldn't close.

Juventus were the toast of Italy and into their third consecutive Champions League final. But Inter were on a run of their own, winning nine matches across all competitions. Ronaldo was having a fine season, too, racking up 22 goals in the 29 matches leading up to this match.

But nothing could prepare them for the agony of losing the Derby d'Italia with such controversy. Ceccarini's decision not to award a penalty for an apparent bodycheck on Ronaldo haunted the referee for years. It led to lawsuits and accusations that he had played a part in the Calciopoli scandal that broke out years later. Ceccarini was adamant that there was no foul and that Ronaldo had actually run into Mark Iuliano, the Juventus defender behind the infamous challenge.

While it didn't decide the Scudetto there and then, the 1-0 result gave Juventus a significant psychological edge. Inter couldn't take advantage of the Bianconeri's draw against Vicenza in the following round and lost to Bari a week later. Juventus ended up finishing five points ahead and Inter's title drought, dating back to 1989, went on until 2006.

The lineups

What the pregame formations looked like.

The match

Reviewing the most important plays, including my personal thoughts and opinions about the teams and players in action.

7' Juventus are dreaming up plays and pressing Inter whenever they don't come off. Del Piero takes on West and weaves through traffic before laying off and watching the move evaporate. Javier Zanetti gets dispossessed as he dawdles in possession, but being Zanetti, he quickly recovers the ball and draws a foul on the ensuing run. Neither team has been able to get a clean look on goal. But if there's an early winner in the opening stages, it's Juventus.

13' The duels are getting scrappier. Del Piero sticks his leg out as he jostles with West but ends up kicking the back of the Dutch defender. Ceccarini awards a free-kick to Inter. Del Piero tries to shake West's hand, but he looks the other way. The crowd immediately whistles West. Ceccarini implores the two to make up and West obliges, giving Del Piero's hand a quick flick. Less than a minute later, West gives Del Piero a push from behind.

18' Inter are defending quite well. Juventus try to blaze a pathway down the left side of the field but reach another dead end. Inter are quick to close Juventus down. For all of Juventus' time on the bell, they've spent a matter of seconds in Inter's area. There's a force field around it and there's no getting through it. The good news for Juventus is that Ronaldo has hardly been in the picture.

21' GOAL JUVENTUS! There's the breakthrough. Oddly, it's come with very little resistance. Inter completely shut off as Davids unspools a long ball to Del Piero along the left flank. The Italian playmaker suddenly finds himself one on one with Salvatore Fresi. He takes on the backpedaling defender, narrowing down the yards between them with a couple of stepovers before pushing the ball to his left. He stubs a shot and with his right scoops the ball into the far corner. Del Piero raises his arms as the stadium erupts in celebration.

27' Ronaldo is much more involved now. He's getting played into space and drawing fouls. He absolutely rips a free-kick from about 20 yards out, watching as it grazes the top of the netting, and tracks back to reclaim possession a little while after. If Inter are showing signs of life, it's because Ronaldo has finally come to play.

35' The game is back in its original groove. Juventus are probing for openings in Inter's defense, and the Nerazzurri are holding firm. Davids is now taking on players but is no more successful than any of his teammates. Inter's man-to-man coverage is excellent. Physically, they're the better team. But they haven't produced enough chances on the counterattack to make their heavy-handed approach worthwhile. They're also far less dangerous than Juventus when they have possession. Inter could use a guy like Iuliano right now. The defender has delivered some real long bombs for Juventus, releasing several players into action.

39' Djorkaeff has been very quiet but makes himself relevant with a pot shot from 20 yards out. Francesco Colonnese's arching ball from the back reaches Ronaldo, who heads it down for Djorkaeff to control and lash a half-volley at goal. That's easily Inter's best move the match.

40' Moments later, a miscommunication at the back nearly leads to an embarrassing goal. Juventus' Paolo Montero heads the ball back just as goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi comes out of his net. Luckily, there isn't much pace on the ball and Peruzzi isn't under a lot of pressure. He retrieves and resets the play without any damage being done.

42' Ronaldo takes a shot on the run and watches as it dribbles just wide of the far post. He starts off well behind the play and times his run so that Diego Simeone's back pass hits him in stride. Ronaldo blows by three defenders as he explodes into the penalty area but misjudges the angle ever so slightly.

49' The same roughhousing repeats itself in the first minutes of the second half. Inzaghi takes a heavy studs-up challenge to the ankle that goes unnoticed. Inter eventually win a free-kick in Juventus' area, and Ronaldo's ferocious attempt forces Peruzzi into a finger-tip save. The Brazilian has leathered these free-kicks, but that's the first one to actually hit the target.

57' Chances are snuffed out before they can take any threatening form. Inzaghi jumps on a giveaway but only has a second of freedom before getting squeezed out of possession. A header off a corner kick on the other end of the pitch is easy enough for Peruzzi to lean over and collect. Ronaldo then tries to run onto a loose ball and gets his shirt tugged. Iuliano goes into the referee's book.

60' A commotion develops in Juventus' area and Pagliuca runs about 50 yards to take part. Ceccarini quickly gives the Inter 'keeper a yellow. Colonnese claims he's been elbowed. The crowd is getting antsy and the air feels tense. The game now feels like a title decider. Deschamps concedes another free-kick along the near touchline following a late challenge on Benoit Cauet. West connects with the subsequent delivery but turns the header wide.

65' The game is turning into a turf war. It's become less about passing and more about winning every possible duel. Lippi and Simoni are bringing on heavier artillery. Antonio Conte's only been on the field for a few minutes and is relishing every moment of the battle. Ceccarini is ready to blow his whistle at the drop of a dime.

68' Pagliuca reacts quickly to a snap shot from close range to keep the deficit at a goal. Twenty seconds later, the 'keeper rushes out of his area to mediate yet another skirmish. Colonnese already has his chin taped up from the earlier incident and wants blood of his own. Pagliuca tells his teammate to get out of there. Simeone's still mad at something and gets a yellow card for dissent. And here's why: A replay shows Davids kicking Simeone's shin. How has the referee missed that?

70' And all hell breaks loose. Ronaldo goes down in the area after Iuliano plows into him, and Simoni races about 10 yards onto the field in protest of what he feels is an egregious non-call. The play goes the other way, and Ceccarini, unmoved by Inter's outcry, gives a penalty to Juventus for a clumsy foul on Del Piero. Eight Inter players rage at Ceccarini, forcing him to take several steps back. The referee motions for Simoni to leave the game. The replay shows the ball leaving Ronaldo's feet a second before Iuliano clatters into him. It's hard not to argue for a penalty here. And if it was, Iuliano would've likely gotten a second yellow.

73' PAGLIUCA SAVES DEL PIERO'S PENALTY! After three minutes of waiting, the attacker opts to shoot down the middle, and the 'keeper wisely stretches out to kick the ball to safety. The Inter fans behind the corner kick flag go wild. Inter's bench still isn't happy about the missed call, and Simoni's assistant gets sent off shortly after. It's now left to Inter's vice president to coach the rest of their game.

79' And we have another red card. There's no doubt about this one. Inter substitute Ze Elias takes a massive run-up and smokes Dechamps with a vicious elbow as they wait for the ball to drop. His elbow is high and makes clear contact with Deschamps' temple. Ze Elias shakes his head as he walks off, but there's zero excuse for such a reckless challenge.

82' Ceccarini makes another decisive call when substitute Ivan Zamorano leaps highest to head in what he thinks is the equalizer. He goes through Peruzzi to make contact with the ball, and Ceccarini rightfully calls the goal back. Zamorano continues to talk, but the rest of his teammates don't offer much more of a protest. Peruzzi pushes his index finger to his mouth, telling one of his teammates to zip it. He doesn't want to jeopardize the lead Juventus have.

89' Inter look completely deflated. Juventus are the only ones going forward and taking shots from all kinds of positions. The visitors can't even do anything with their own goal kick. It goes immediately to Zidane, who waltzes into the area before getting dispossessed by Zanetti. Then, out of nowhere, Ronaldo flashes a volley that Peruzzi pushes wide. "Miracolo," the commentator exclaims, doing the save justice.

90+7' Ceccarini blows the final whistle. Some Inter players fall to the ground, while the entire bench books it for the exits. Iuliano, the perpetrator of the non-call, goes around shaking whichever hand he can. Zamorano and Simeone give Ceccarini another piece of their mind as the ref walks down the tunnel and into a post-match haze of commentary and accusations.