The Derby d’Italia delivered drama in Serie A, as Inter Milan defeated Juventus 3-2 in a match overshadowed by the controversial dismissal of Pierre Kalulu.

The refereeing decision and the inability of VAR to overturn it became the central talking point in a crucial title-race encounter.

Why was Pierre Kalulu sent off?

Kalulu received a second yellow card in the 42nd minute for a challenge on Alessandro Bastoni, with the score tied at 1-1. The call immediately triggered protests from the Juventus bench.

Head coach Luciano Spalletti and football director Giorgio Chiellini confronted referee Federico La Penna at halftime to express their frustration.

“What happened is unacceptable. We are here and not Luciano Spalletti for this very reason,” Chiellini told DAZN after the match.

Juventus claim injustice after defeat

Chief executive Damien Comolli openly criticized the officiating and insisted the club could not remain silent.

“It was a total injustice. Juve have lost three points. But Italian football has lost even more. The first message is for our fans — I’m sorry for what they saw. We cannot fight, win, or play under these circumstances. The second is for Juve — we are united against injustice and we will not give up,” he said.

Refereeing chief admits mistake

Serie A refereeing chief Gianluca Rocchi acknowledged that the decision was incorrect and expressed regret that VAR could not be used to correct it.

“We deeply regret the incident, La Penna’s decision was clearly wrong, and VAR could not intervene to rectify it,” Rocchi told ANSA. He also revealed that La Penna was emotionally affected and noted there had been other questionable moments, including what he described as a simulation by Bastoni.

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