By the end of the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final, Juventus and Inter remain on level terms following a 1-1 draw. However, the melee that erupted after the final whistle overshadowed all the action that had ensued throughout the match.
The ugly row resulted in the dismissal of Romelu Lukaku who was already on a yellow card following a harsh challenge on Federico Gatti, as well as Inter captain Samir Handanovic and Juve’s Juan Cuadrado.
After the match, Juventus stand-in captain Danilo felt that Lukaku’s red card was justified following his celebration – although the striker was apparently responding to racial abuse from a section of the Curva Sud.
“There’s nothing complicated, Lukaku scored, he told the fans to stay quiet, so it’s normal for him to receive a second booking,” said the Brazilian in his post-match interview with Mediaset via TuttoJuve.
“This is Juve-Inter, the semi-final of the Coppa Italia, it’s not like it’s a normal match, the tempers are always high, so I think it’s a normal thing. It’s clear that respect must be above everything, but I think it’s normal in this type of event.”
Regarding the ugly raw that ensued after the match, Danilo explained that stopping Cuadrado from committing such howler isn’t his exclusive responsibility, as we’re talking about one of the most experienced veterans in the squad.
“Juan is 34 years old, almost 35, we are more than 30 people in the squad, so I’m not the only one responsible for taking Cuadrado out of there.
“He knows it, of course we’ll talk to each other internally, but I won’t reveal the details.”
