Milano is still Nerazzurro: Milan 2 - 3 Inter!

MILAN - A reaction was needed and that’s what we got – triumph in the Derby to leapfrog Milan in the league standings and regain third place. It was a true Inter performance, with the Nerazzurri successfully completing the #DerbyMilano double by beating the Rossoneri 3-2. Vecino, De Vrij and Lautaro Martinez were all on the scoresheet, as we came out on top during a dramatic encounter.. 

Inter couldn’t have got off to a better start on Sunday, taking the lead in the third minute through Vecino. The goal initially stemmed from a Perisic cross before Lautaro headed it into the path of the midfielder to fire home. The Rossoneri looked to respond in the eighth minute, although Paquetà’s left-footed effort was saved well by Handanovic. Inter threatened once again in the 17th minute, as Calabria produced a last-ditch challenge to prevent the Nerazzurri from doubling their lead. Three minutes later, Paquetà climbed high to meet a cross from Calabria but headed wide. Still with the Nerazzurri on the front foot, Vecino played in Politano in the 22nd minute whose effort was saved by Donnarumma down the middle. Three minutes later, Handanovic got down well to keep out out a low drive from Calhanoglu. With the match truly bouncing from end to end, Inter then missed a wonderful chance to double their lead at the 30-minute mark, as Perisic found Vecino in the middle who could only shoot over. Six minutes later, Skriniar then also missed the target after an accurate Brozovic corner. Just prior to the interval, the Nerazzurri suffered a scare after a Calhanoglu set-piece deflected off Perisic and out for a corner, yet the half-time whistle came with Inter leading 1-0. 

The Nerazzurri started the second half on the front foot. In the 48th minute, Gagliardini forced a stop from Donnarumma with a powerful hit from tight angle. A minute later, Vecino played the ball to Lautaro who was in space before Muscacchio made a last-ditch tack. In the 51st minute, Inter went two up. De Vrij leapt highest in the Milan area to get his head to Politano’s cross and nod the ball beyond Donnarumma. The two-goal lead only lasted for a few minutes before Bakayoko headed in from a Calhanoglu free kick in the 57th minute to drag Milan back into it. Spalletti’s side reacted in the best way possible with Skriniar forcing a great stop from Donnarumma. After, the substitute Castillejo brought Politano down in the area and it was a penalty. Lautaro stood up to the spot and calmly slotted it home to make it 1-3. Milan fired back however with Musacchio getting the vital touch from close range in the 71st minute after a scramble in the Inter box. Spalletti shook things up, bringing Borja Valero on for Brozovic and then Candreva for the excellent Politano. The Nerazzurri had another chance in the 85th minute. D’Ambrosio got away on the right and played in a low cross which Lautaro got his left foot to but he could’t hit the target. Milan kept trying through Piatek whose flick missed from a dangerous position. Two minutes before the 90-minute mark, Conti was shown a red card for his foul but was downgraded to a yellow after a VAR check. The ending was pure chaos. The referee gave six minutes of stoppage time. It started with Handanovic saving Castillejo’s header from point-blank range. In the 96th minute, Cutrone thought he’d equalised but D’Ambrosio dived in the way to make a vital block on the line. The final whistle finally came and Inter won 2-3!

Thanks to this big win in the Champions League race, the Nerazzurri are now two points ahead of the Rossoneri, six points ahead of Roma and seven points ahead of Lazio who have a game in hand.

Now and always, #ForzaInter!

MILAN 2-3 INTER Goalscorers: 3' Vecino (I), 51' De Vrij (I), 57' Calhanoglu (M), 67' rig. Lautaro (I), 71' Musacchio (M)

MILAN: 99 G. Donnarumma; 2 Calabria, 22 Musacchio, 13 Romagnoli, 68 Rodriguez (58' 63 Cutrone); 79 Kessie (69' 12 Conti), 14 Bakayoko, 39 Paquetà (46' 7 Castillejo); 8 Suso, 9 Piatek, 10 CalhanogluSubstitutes: 25 Reina, 90 A. Donnarumma, 11 Borini, 16 Bertolacci, 17 Zapata, 20 Abate, 21 Biglia, 33 Caldara, 93 LaxaltCoach: Gennaro Gattuso

INTER: 1 Handanovic; 33 D'Ambrosio, 37 Skriniar, 6 De Vrij, 18 Asamoah; 5 Gagliardini, 77 Brozovic (73' 20 Borja Valero), 8 Vecino (92' 13 Ranocchia); 16 Politano (84' 87 Candreva), 10 Lautaro, 44 PerisicSubstitutes: 27 Padelli, 11 Keita Balde, 21 Cedric, 29 DalbertCoach: Luciano Spalletti

Bookings: Brozovic (I), Rodriguez (M), Romagnoli (M), Vecino (I), Suso (M), Conti (M), Gagliardini (I)

Added time: 2' + 6'

Referee: GuidaAssistants: Passeri, CerboneFourth official: FabbriVAR operators: Calvarese, Vivenzi