Leao dealt another blow to Inter in a crazy derby against Milan

Inter is still trapped in uncertainty and doubts its condition to face big challenges like the one that awaits in October against Barça. Hurt by 3-1 against Lazio, followed by a simple victory against Cremonese, the ‘neroazzurro’ team suffered one of the painful disappointments in an exciting and very emotional ‘Derby della Madonnina’ (3 -2), where the emotional trumps the tactical. Brozovic gave the San Siro Interista side a boost in the 21st minute but a dazzling Rafael Leao, two goals and an assist, began to lift spirits in the first-half tie in the 28th minute. In a deadly start to the second , a goal from Giroud and another from the Portuguese in the space of seven minutes prevented Inter from failing to win despite a pride attack with Dzeko’s 67th-minute goal.

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3 – AC Milan: Maignan – Calabria (Kjaer, d.83), Kalulu, Tomori, Theo H. – Tonali (Pobega, d.83), Bennacer – Messias (Saelemaekers, d.72), De Ketelaere (Brahim, d.61), Leao – Giroud (Origi, m.72).

2 – Inter: Handanovic – Skriniar, De Vrij (D’Ambrosio, 84), Bastoni (Dimarco, 62) – Dumfries, Barella (Mhkitaryan, 62), Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Darmian (Gosens, 84) – Correa (Dzeko, m.62), Lautaro Martinez

The objectives: 0-1, m.21: Brozovic; 1-1, m.28: Leaus; 2-1, m.53: Giroud; 3-1, m.59: Leo; 3-2, m.66: Dzeko

Referee: D. Chiffi. He showed yellow cards to Milan’s Theo (m.9), Giroud (m.30), De Ketelaere (m.50) and Tonali (m.77); and Dumfries (m.9), Brozovic (m.38) and Inzaghi (coach, m.71) for Inter.

Incidents: The match on the fifth day of Serie A was played at the San Siro/Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan.

view the game file

The season is just beginning, victory in the ‘Derby della Madonnina’, more than an issue of qualification, means something of morale, important to get to this Champions League that Milan and Inter have arrived with enthusiasm, seeking to be relevant again, to return to be more than what they were before. The interista team, with what has been exposed today, is not enough for the moment to negotiate access to the round of 16 of the maximum continental competition against Bayern and Barça. Without Lukaku, he boasts the brilliance of Lautaro, the omnipresence of Dzeko and the depth of his wingers, but he lacks defensive strength, is confused on the ball and fragile in individual duels.

Arranged in their 5-3-2, Inter, determined and unbiased due to the absence of Lukaku, tried to dominate Milan, mobile and active Lautaro and Joaquín Correa to receive between the lines and achieve width on the right with additions Dumfries, chased by Theo Hernández and both involved in a brawl of no consequence that raised the temperature of the derby. A crossbar after a clearance towards Handanovic de Bastoni’s own goal put the ‘neroazzurro’ sector of the San Siro on alert, which would rise shortly.

Brozovic was the beginning and end of Interista’s first goal. The Croatian, coming to receive between the centers, gave the first pass that cut the lines and Lautaro, insightful and fleeting, received three quarters. Kaluli went out to find him but couldn’t find him, pretending to be Lukaku the Argentine – at times what Barça wanted – to receive, turn and send a pass into space that Brozovic himself defined with precision and coolness one-on-one. Playing, in other words, a lifetime, a striker who drops to receive and another space, in this case the Croatian pivot who plays a different role. It was also an unforgivable mistake by Lukaku, leaving the position without cutting off Lautaro’s progress.

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Bipolar Simone Inzaghi’s team went from reciting virtues to dubious flaws, delivering to Milan what the ‘rossonero’ team could not do on their own merits with their flat static game. Çalhanoglu, not initially under pressure, gave the ball to Tonali with an erratic change of play and the midfielder assisted Leao, who first timed the pass with a thread to the far post.

Inter repeated the mistake of his departure, falling into impatience in looking for a pass that would break the lines in a hurry and without forcing Milan to do so, because, despite being advanced, the pressure of the men of Stefano Pioli he dedicates himself more to closing the passing lines than squeezing the ball holder. In the positional attack, the angled position of Tonali, installed on the left wing initially as a flank, also put Inter in some other problems with the cargo hanging in the area.

The ‘neroazzurro’ team, as if they had not yet taken charge of the draw, lost their defensive candor and saw their ‘Derby della Madoninna’ aspirations almost dimmed at the dawn of the second half. With no opposition despite having defenders on top of them, no one did anything to prevent Leao’s center or Giroud’s eternal center at 2-1 (minute 54) and no one knew how to interpret the exchange of roles in 3-1 action in 60′. The French attended the space and Rafael Leao avoided De Vrij and Skriniar. The Portuguese justified the 100 million that Milan asked for him more, knocking down the 70 claimed by Inter from PSG for Skriniar.

In a derby of many emotional ups and downs, hope returned for Inter with a quick goal in the 67th minute where he showed one of his great virtues such as combining the lines, when Darmian rushed to the baseline for the first shot of the recently entered Dzeko, indispensable in the return operation and the most suitable to use more specific functions of Lukaku. The Bosnian largely freed Lautaro in a certain way from the role of involvement in the generation of the game.

3-2 meant a complete release for Inter, which led to a frenzy with more determined pressure on Milan’s exit and chances to equalise, demanding Maignan. The depth Dzeko brought to his aerial game to extend and his drop down the wing inspired Inter while Origi’s substitution for Giroud in Pioli’s team had little influence. The derby went crazy for a few minutes so that Milan, with a lot of personality and not letting themselves get carried away by the lack of control that their eternal rival wanted, imposed calm from slow possession.

Installed on the Milan field in extra time, nothing made the Rossoneri alert except for a long shot from Mkhitaryan. This Inter, at the moment, is too green to challenge Barça.