DEFEAT IN THE SUPERCOPPA
Supercoppa Italiana
A bad evening. Tonight’s Supercoppa Italiana final went the way of Inter, who deservedly ran out 3-0 winners. At the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, the Rossoneri’s poor run of form continued. While the team undoubtedly displayed a reaction, their heart on the pitch wasn’t backed up by composure. Pioli’s men made a bad start as Dimarco opened the scoring in the tenth minute, and things only got worse as Džeko bagged a second (21’) and Martínez (77’) killed it off.
It was a night where AC Milan fell below expectations, with the Rossoneri producing a lacklustre performance in defence in particular. They then didn’t make the most of their opportunities at the start of the second half, allowing the Nerazzurri to consolidate their confidence. After four matches without a win - something which hasn’t happened since February 2021 - the Diavolo will return to action when they face Lazio in Rome on Tuesday 24 January. A shake-up is needed because the season is far from over and there’s still plenty time to enjoy success. Heads up, lads!
CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FROM AC MILAN v INTER
REPORT
The Rossoneri got off to the worst possible start, conceding an early opener to Dimarco, who stuck it home following a precise pass from Barella (10'). AC Milan picked themselves up and got on the front foot; in the 17th minute, Onana was called into action by Leão, who looked to bend it into the far corner but the Nerazzurri's goalkeeper turned the effort behind. Just as the Rossoneri were trying to get back into it, Inter struck again through Džeko, who split the Rossoneri's defence, escaped Tonali, and fired past Tătă. Pioli's side looked all over the place and they almost conceded two more, first through Acerbi and then through Dimarco. Tătăruşanu denied them both. As the half drew to a close, Tonali saw his shot blocked in the penalty area and Tomori then put the rebound well wide of the mark.
It was a bright start to the second half for the Rossoneri, who threatened through Theo and Bennacer, both of whom fired over the bar. A huge chance fell to Rafa in the 49th minute but his shot whistled just over. The Rossoneri stuck at it and, in the 56th minute, Isma had another go but it was straight at Onana. AC Milan were, by now, enjoying the lion's share of the territory and possession but remained unable to create any clear-cut opportunities. The Rossoneri huffed and puffed, but more so out of spite rather than creativity. Then, in the 77th minute, heartbreak. Lautaro Martìnez held off Tomori and scored with the outside of the boot to make it 3-0. Rebić - on his return from injury - hit the bar late on with a cross-shot in the final flurry of action of a final to forget.
MATCH DETAILS
AC MILAN 0-3 INTER
AC MILAN (4-2-3-1): Tătăruşanu; Calabria, Kjær (64' Kalulu), Tomori, Hernández; Tonali, Bennacer; Messias (64' Origi), Díaz (64' De Ketelaere), Leão; Giroud. Subs: Mirante, Vásquez; Bozzolan, Dest, Gabbia, Thiaw; Adli, Bakayoko, Pobega, Saelemaekers, Vranckx; Rebić. Coach: Pioli.
INTER (3-5-2): Onana; Škriniar, Acerbi, Bastoni (84' de Vrij); Darmian, Barella (71' Gagliardini), Çalhanoğlu (84' Asllani), Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (63' Gosens); Džeko (71' Correa), Martínez. Subs: Brazão, Cordaz, Handanović; Bellanova, D'Ambrosio, Dumfries, Zanotti; Brozović, Carboni; Lukaku. Coach: Inzaghi.
Referee: Maresca from Naples.
Goals: 10' Dimarco (I), 21' Džeko (I), 77' Martínez (I).
Booked: 33' Barella (I), 72' Çalhanoğlu (I), 77' Hernández (M), 78' Martínez (I), 85' Tonali (M).
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