GdS: Why Milan and Inter are both left with mixed feelings after derby drama

SempreMilan

·3 février 2025

GdS: Why Milan and Inter are both left with mixed feelings after derby drama

AC Milan and Inter played out a dramatic derby draw at San Siro last night, one that will leave fans questioning who should be the happier.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning, Milan and Inter fans perhaps exchanged the same questioning look at full-time regarding what to make of the game. For the Rossoneri it was an improvement from Wednesday in Zagreb, but conceding so late leaves a bitter taste.

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The Nerazzurri are happy to have grabbed the equaliser with a strike from Stefan De Vrij in the third minute of injury time, but they dropped two points in the Scudetto race and in the first half they struggled to get anything going.

Sergio Conceiçao’s side were not able to match victories of Bologna, Fiorentina and Juventus – competitors for the fourth Champions League spot – but now he knows that with the spirit of the derby his Milan can catch up with them.

With Santiago Gimenez added and perhaps Joao Felix too, there is the belief that as long as Milan approach games with the right mentality then they can begin to climb the table. Whether that is shown consistently remains to be seen.

Calhanoglu anonymous

It was a first half controlled by Inter against a Milan designed to wait and counter-attack. But if the Rossoneri wielded the awareness of their inferiority like a sword to fight in defence and attack every loose ball, the Nerazzurri were excessively pleased with their superiority.

They passed the ball at a slow pace, without the competitive fury that you would have expected from a team that had two derbies to avenge. It was the wrong approach, but also because Calhanoglu was too far from his best and was unable to raise the pace, as he usually does.

Milan took advantage of this to take the lead at the end of the half, and tried to resist in the second half when Inter unleashed their fury and found the equaliser at the last gasp.

Reijnders illuminates

The first half saw the Rossoneri move from a 4-2-3-1 into a protective 4-4-2 off te ball, with Musah on the right covering the debutant Kyle Walker and doubling up on Federico Dimarco.

Paulo Fonseca’s offensive pressing, the key to the victory in the first leg of the derby, was a distant memory. Conceiçao went for density in midfield, low block and catching the opponent in transition, and it did seem to frustrate Inter.

Simone Inzaghi’s side showed a bit more aggression in recovering the ball, yet they moved the ball ball slowly and remained quite static, which played into Milan’s hands. Calhanoglu wasn’t up to speed, Barella always took an extra touch too many, the wing-backs offered little.

n the 45th minute, the Diavolo took the lead and the goal came thanks to winning the ball back in midfield and sprinting down the right. Theo fed Leao’s run and Sommer blocked his cross/shot, but Reijnders thundered in the rebound.

De Vrij gets a point

Conceicao decided to bring on Alex Jimenez in place of Ismael Bennacer. Yunus Musah moved up to midfield and the system was then obviously a 5-4-1 when out of possession.

The Nerazzurri put the Milan goal under siege, hitting the post three times, but Inzaghi made 5 changes without putting any strikers on like Taremi or Arnautovic. Conceiçao took off his forwards.

Maybe he defended a bit too much, and in the third minute of added time the debutant Zalewski assisted De Vrij’s equaliser after a cross from the excellent Bisseck.

It was two Dutch goals and a ‘homeric derby’ that, in the end, makes everyone happy, even if it was delayed. It seemed that Napoli had won the Milan derby. Instead, Roma produced a late goal.