#TBT: THE DERBY OF THE MEN IN LIMBO

There used to be a time at AC Milan when Rivaldo’s place in the squad was in jeopardy. Carlo Ancelotti had made up his mind about the player’s future, but fans were displeased and wanted to keep him in the club’s colours, in spite of the fact the Brazilian had already waved goodbye in the San Siro after the match against Lecce.

At the same time, Hector Cuper was being seriously questioned and doubted on the Nerazzuri bench; the concerns regarding his future were so serious in fact that just a week after the Derby, he’d go on to be sacked following a 2-2 draw with Brescia. It was during that tense climate that Inter and AC Milan would play out the Derby on the evening of 5 October 2003; it was the first Milanese Derby after the two-legged Champions League semi-final two months prior.

The Derby sprang to life at the end of the first half, when an Andrea Pirlo free kick struck Inzaghi and the deflected shot flew in off his shoulder. A pivotal moment occurred at the beginning of the second half, when a Rino Gattuso cross found the head of Ricardo Kaká, who promptly tucked the ball away in the corner for his first AC Milan goal.

Wearing an Inter shirt In the Nerazzuri penalty area was Daniele Adani, who still even today crosses paths with Gattuso, although not in the penalty area during a derby but instead on television channels dedicated to post match interviews. After 46 minutes, the fate of the Derby was effectively sealed when goals from Shevchenko and Martins completed the scoreboard, rounding off a 1-3 win for AC Milan.

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