Italian journalist Riccardo Trevisani believes that Bremer’s handball in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final was a turning point in Inter Milan’s campaign.
Juventus hosted their arch-rivals Inter at the Allianz Stadium in the first leg of the Italian Cup. Juan Cuadrado gave the hosts the lead, but just before the final whistle, Bianconeri defender Gleison Bremer gave away a spot kick for a handball.
Romelu Lukaku converted the penalty to equalize the tie, but the match made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The Belgian striker was racially abused by a section of Juve’s Curva Sud supporters, which promoted a melee between the two sets of players at the final whistle.
Nonetheless, Trevisani feels that this moment changed the entire course of Inter’s campaign. He also highlights the fact that Lukaku has finally hit his stride following that ugly incident.
“It was Bremer’s hand. Every season revolves around turning points. From Bremer’s handball to Lukaku’s penalty, this was Inter’s turning point,” said the Italian journalist as published by FcInter1908.
“Lukaku has become another player since that penalty goal. He has been scoring goals ever since.
“Everything changed from there. Matches like these can change seasons, as it also happened in last year’s derby.”
Following the controversial first-leg incident, Inter went on to dominate the second leg at the Giuseppe Meazza and book their place in the Coppa Italia final, beating their rivals 1-0 thanks to Federico Dimarco’s winner.
Simone Inzaghi’s men are also showing signs of improvement in Serie A after collecting three wins in a row, but the most significant moment of their campaign will be the upcoming EuroDerby against Milan in the Champions League semi-final.