AC MILAN WIN THE DERBY AGAIN
Serie A
And so it was, "Benvenuti all'Inferno"! Tonight, for the second time this season, the derby is ours. It was a stunning evening, a proper and wonderfully AC Milan evening. The derby at San Siro was decided by an unlikely figure in Pervis Estupiñan, who chose the biggest game of the year in which to net his first goal for the Club. What a feeling for him, and what joy for us! It ended 1-0, the same scoreline as earlier in the year, and was another top display from the Rossoneri, who deservedly beat the leaders and cut the deficit. The goal was the flashpoint of a game that hadn't produced much excitement until that point and seemed destined to remain level. Rather, Fofana's assist and Pervis' finish flipped the story on its head.
Tonight, we're happy because the team won at San Siro for the first time since the Lecce game. Slip-ups against Como and Parma meant that the win was almost destined to come in the derby. There was the odd spurned chance following Pervis' goal, but the team defended well and kept the clean sheet. Now, we have the best defence in the league with just 20 goals conceded. The distance between the two sides in the table now stands at seven points, cut from ten before kick-off. The number that matters most for now, however, is that we are currently nine points ahead of fifth place, which means we are nearing a top-four finish. Keep it up, boys, because Milan is rossonera tonight too.
CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FROM AC MILAN v INTER
MATCH REPORT
A promising start from the Rossoneri saw them press high, and the tactic almost paid off immediately: Modrić pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the area and fired a left-footed effort narrowly wide in the third minute. The game then settled into spells of possession for both sides, with the teams mirroring each other tactically and chances few and far between. The lull was broken when Mkhitaryan surged through the middle, only to be denied by Maignan. Having survived a big scare, the Rossoneri opened the scoring with the very next attack: Fofana found Estupiñan, who chose the derby to open his AC Milan account with a powerful left-footed strike that flew into the net. The Rossoneri had the momentum and could have doubled their lead through Saelemaekers, who fired over while running onto a precise Pulisic pass.
The second half began with Inter inevitably pushing forward more, though with less precision than usual. Allegri's side looked to play on the counter, with Leão, once again picked out by Pulisic, dragged a left-footed effort wide. Fofana then tried his luck from the edge of the area with his weaker foot, but Sommer gathered at the second attempt. Inter responded with a big chance for Dimarco, who fired over from a great position. In the 58th minute, Fofana again found Leão on the break, but the Portuguese man couldn't keep his finish on target. A raft of substitutions followed as Inter tried to spark something down the flanks, but the AC Milan defence held firm - especially during the late pressure - with Maignan rarely called into serious action. It finished 1-0 to the Rossoneri, who won their second derby of the season by the same scoreline.
MATCH DETAILS
AC MILAN 1-0 INTER
AC MILAN (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlović; Saelemaekers, Fofana (73' Ricci), Modrić, Rabiot, Estupiñan; Pulisic (84' Nkunku), Leão (73' Füllkrug). Subs.: Terracciano, Torriani; Athekame, Bartesaghi, Odogu; Jashari. Coach: Allegri.
INTER (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck (80' Diouf), Akanji, Bastoni (68' C. Augusto); Luis Henrique (59' Dumfries), Barella (68' Frattesi), Mkhitaryan (59' Sučić), Zieliński, Dimarco; Bonny, Esposito. Subs.: Di Gennaro, Martínez; Acerbi, De Vrij, Darmian; Çalhanoğlu; Lavelli. Coach: Chivu.
Referee: Doveri from Roma.
Goal: 35' Estupiñan (M).
Booked: 20'st Bastoni (I), 24'st Dumfries (I), 35'st Rabiot (M), 44'st Modrić (M).
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