Francisco Conceição's late goal wasn't enough as Inter took bragging rights in the first meeting of the new season at Perth's Optus Stadium.
Inter Milan beat Juventus 2-1 in a preseason friendly at Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia. Francisco Conceição pulled one back late for the Old Lady, but it was too little, too late.
A rivalry that doesn’t take summers off
The two Italian giants met on August 8 in Perth as part of their preseason preparations for the 2026/27 Serie A campaign, with kickoff set for 7:00 PM local time.
Conceição found the net in key Derby d’Italia meetings during both the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons, cementing his reputation as a big-game performer for Juventus.
The result continues a pattern of high-scoring encounters between these two clubs. Last season alone featured a pair of thrillers: Juventus won 4-3 on September 13, 2025, before Inter exacted revenge with a 3-2 victory on February 14, 2026.
The Perth experiment and global football economics
Optus Stadium, a 60,000-seat venue that opened in 2018, has hosted a growing number of international sporting events. The choice of Perth as a venue reflects the broader trend of Europe’s elite clubs treating preseason as a global marketing tour, with appearance fees for marquee friendlies running into the millions.
