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Post-Game Thread: QuagliaMatri rules in the San Siro rain

Three points and a win over Inter? That's fun!

Claudio Villa

Don't look now, but both of Juventus' starting strikers on Saturday against Inter scored goals. I know, hard to believe, but it did actually happen. And the result was the script being completely flipped as the rain poured down at the San Siro — 2-1 to the visitors, with the lead in Serie A temporarily pushed to 12 points again staying at nine points after Napoli's high-scoring win over Torino later in the day.

But to get there, though, wasn't the easiest. (Hey, nobody said it was going to be easy.)

In typical Derby d'Italia fashion, it was scrappy, physical, and everything in between. And as much as Fabio Quagliarella's PlayStation3-like goal just three minutes into the game helped Juventus' cause, Juve's ability to grab a second goal before halftime came back to bite them. That's nothing new to us, clearly, but the usual air-tight defense was giving Inter chances — and Inter took advantage to get the equalizer.

That's when Alessandro Matri, who had seen his time on the bench only increase over the past month after his sudden goal-scoring hot streak, struck for the winner. It was a classic poacher's goal, one that proves once again that Matri — who has now scored six goals since the calendar has flipped over 2013 — can be a contributor down the stretch for this Juventus side.

Just a hard-fought, Antonio Conte-style win. Hard to believe, isn't it? Nah, not really.

Now it's full attention towards Bayern Munich. The team's flight to Germany leaves soon I'm guessing, just in case you were planning on making a quick trip to the airport to wish our boys the best of luck in their latest European adventure.

My Man of the Match: While it's hard not to say Buffon for his first-half heroics, the impact Quagliarella had — playing a crucial role in both of the goals scored — was the biggest. Obviously he channeled the classic Quags striking prowess on the opener, but he also provided the assist on Matri's game-winning goal. His work rate was there and he teamed up well with Matri — somebody who also hasn't played much lately. Not a bad showing from Juventus' "other" strikers, huh?