Perth hosts Bianconeri’s narrow defeat to Inter in pre-season opener

By Liam Tremblay — 8 August 2026 — 4 min read

In their first 2026/27 pre-season match held in Australia, the Men’s First Team experienced a 2-1 defeat against Inter. The match saw Inter take an early lead, with Federico Dimarco scoring in the first half, followed by Andy Diouf doubling their advantage in the second half. Juventus managed to score one goal in the closing stages, courtesy of Chico Conceicao.

The encounter took place in Perth, Australia, as part of Juventus‘s pre-season preparations. Ahead of the game, coach Luciano Spalletti and player Andrea Cambiaso addressed the media, with Cambiaso highlighting the significance of playing against Inter, even in a pre-season fixture. He emphasized that such games are always the best to play in and that the team would give their all.

First Half Action

From the outset, Juventus aimed to control possession, while Inter adopted a strategy of sitting back and looking for opportunities to exploit space. An early chance for Juventus came in the 3rd minute when Edon Zhegrova delivered a free-kick into the box, which Ange-Yoan Bonny met, resulting in Juventus‘s first corner. Shortly after, Kenan Yildiz set up Andrea Cambiaso, whose attempt was thwarted by the Inter defence.

Inter registered the first significant shot of the match in the 11th minute. Following a corner taken by Federico Dimarco, Nicolo Barella attempted a volley from 22 metres out, but his shot missed the target. Juventus had their first attempt in the 18th minute, with Zhegrova‘s left-footed shot from distance being saved by Ivan Provedel.

Two minutes later, Inter broke the deadlock. Bonny dribbled past an opponent and passed the ball to Dimarco, who scored with an angled shot that beat Michele Di Gregorio, putting Inter ahead 1–0. Juventus responded in the 28th minute, nearly equalizing from a set-piece. Douglas Luiz sent the ball into the box, and Weston McKennie headed it on to Gleison Bremer, but Provedel intervened before Bremer could shoot. In the 32nd minute, Di Gregorio saved a powerful free-kick from Hakan Calhanoglu from over thirty metres.

Towards the end of the first half, Juventus began to assert more control. In the 37th minute, Douglas Luiz delivered a pass to Cambiaso, who opted for a cross but was closed down by the Inter defence. A minute later, Yildiz won the ball back and attempted a shot from 22 metres, which went wide.

Second Half Developments

Several changes were made by Juventus at half-time, introducing players such as Teun Koopmeiners, Zeki Celik, Juan Cabal, Kerim Alajbegovic, Randal Kolo Muani, and Chico Conceicao. Alajbegovic quickly made an impact, first with a low cross that led to a corner, and then in the 53rd minute, with a low shot at the near post that was saved by Provedel.

Despite Juventus‘s efforts to control the match, Inter extended their lead in the 63rd minute. Francesco Pio Esposito set up Diouf, who beat Cambiaso to make the score 2–0 for Inter. Following this, Daniele Rugani, Fabio Miretti, and Arthur Melo were also brought into the game for Juventus.

In the 67th minute, Alajbegovic delivered a good ball into the box, but Kolo Muani was unable to connect with his head from a promising position. Inter nearly scored a third goal in the 70th minute when Aleksandar Stankovic played in Matteo Lavelli, who was one-on-one with Di Gregorio but shot over the bar.

In the final stages of the match, Juventus intensified their efforts to get back into the game. In the 85th minute, Miretti provided a through ball to Conceicao, who broke free from an onside position, entered the box, and scored with a powerful, precise shot past Josep Martinez, reducing Inter‘s lead to 2–1.

Juventus continued to press, creating another chance in the 88th minute through Alajbegovic, whose shot from the right side of the box was saved by Martinez. A minute later, Koopmeiners attempted a shot from distance, but it went wide. The final opportunity of the match fell to Inter, with Carlos Augusto‘s header from a corner going wide. The match concluded with a 2-1 victory for Inter. Juventus‘s next fixture is against Palermo on Tuesday 11th, also in Perth.

Source: ca.sports.yahoo.com