It was a big game, and it required a big goal.

Juventus left-back Andrea Cambiaso curled in a cracker of a cross from the left-hand side of the Inter half. The ball was headed outwards by Carlos Augusto to Randal Kolo Muani.

The Frenchman was on the periphery of the box and was instantly surrounded by blue-and-black shirts. Kolo Muani held off the challenge of Hakan Calhanoglu, whilst also controlling the ball descending from the bitterly cold Piedmont sky.

The on-loan PSG forward channelled his inner-Zinedine Zidane and produced a startling Marseille roulette — a move that would’ve brought Juve fans of a certain vintage back 25 years — to take him past Henrikh Mkhitaryan and into the box.

Kolo Muani pushed the ball to his right towards Francisco Conceicao, who took one touch to set himself, and the second to place his shot past Yann Sommer.

There is no roof on the Allianz Stadium but had there been, it would’ve flown into orbit such was the deafening roar of 39,000 people collectively releasing the tension that’d been building throughout the game.

Conceicao had given Inter an earlier warning in the game, when his deceptive left-foot shot was brilliantly saved from Sommer, who was at full stretch to push the ball past the post. Now he had his goal.

In the end, Conceicao’s goal proved the winner. It capped off a fantastic performance from the 22-year-old, who has proved to be one of Cristiano Giuntoli’s best signings since the former Napoli sporting director arrived at the club in 2023.

The goal in the Derby d’Italia was hardly Conceicao’s coming out party. He’s been one of Juve’s best performers in a season of hideous inconsistencies, but his overall display in the club’s biggest game of the season was the kind that will endear him to fans even more.

Handed a 7/10 from La Gazzetta, he was voted the best player on the park. Yet it wasn’t just due to the goal. Conceicao’s ability to twist and turn, jink and jive, would almost bring an opposing player’s knees to tears.

His sleight frame and diminutive stature make it easy for the Portuguese winger to wriggle free of defenders, and his roadrunner-esque speed has caused problems for teams all season.

His father, current Milan coach Sergio, was also a winger of accomplished standing in the late 1990s and early 2000s in Serie A. Yet his son is very different. While Sergio was known for speed and crossing, Francisco is more a dribbler, more likely to take men on, the end result being chaos.

Conceicao Jnr’s end product is still something that needs to be worked on. He’s far from the finished article in terms of goals and assists. The goal against Inter was only his third in Serie A this season, while chipping in with one in the Champions League.

But it’s also what you don’t see on TV that makes Conceicao a player Juve should be scrambling to make his move from Porto permanent this summer. His off-the-ball work-rate is tremendous, harking back to the days when Angelo Di Livio and Pavel Nedved would offer as much going forward as they would in defence.

There were countless times on Sunday of Conceicao closing down space, restricting Federico Dimarco from going on one of his trademark runs down the left-hand side. 

There is a diligence to Conceicao that’s lacking in Rafael Leao, for example. And it’s that kind of diligence, that grinta, that will endear him to the Juve faithful as much as the attacking play.

With Thiago Motta’s other attacking options on the wings, Nico Gonzalez, Kenan Yildiz and Samuel Mbangula, lacking the rapid pace of Conceicao, his presence gives Juve another method of killing its prey. 

Against Inter, the balance of Gonzalez on one side and Conceicao on the other was perfect. Conceicao still has some rougher edges to polish in his game, but there should be little doubt as to whether Juve want to sign him on a permanent basis in the summer.

Originally signed on a season-long loan deal worth €7m with an option to buy for a further €30m, Giuntoli needs to tie the winger down to a permanent deal, especially in light of potential Premier League interest. West Ham are reportedly sniffing around the player, as are Wolves and Milan.

Conceicao senior won the Scudetto in 2000 with Lazio, as well as the Coppa Italia, Cup Winners’ Cup and the Supercoppa Italiana during his five-year stint in Italy.

Francisco has a way to go to live up to his dad’s legacy in Serie A, but should he manage to refine certain elements in his game, he could become even better.  And Juve fans would like to see that happen in Turin.