Rafael Leão signed off, as he so often does, with his favourite emoji, the little man riding a surfboard. He had given no interviews after Milan’s game against Internazionale so we had to make do with a two-word social media post, less a comment than a vibe: “Derby Waves.”
Perhaps that was a perfect synopsis of a game of relentless, roiling drama. An evening when two halves of a city took turns to ride the crests and then tumble back beneath the water, swept along by irresistible tides that would not allow anyone to stop for breath.
Rafael Leão celebrates after scoring Milan’s third goal.
With just under 21 minutes on the clock, Marcelo Brozovic gave Inter the lead, punishing Milan’s high press. Fikayo Tomori and Pierre Kalulu chased Joaquín Correa and Lautaro Martínez high up the pitch, but the Englishman got lost as the Argentinians swapped passes. There was nobody left to fill the space behind as Brozovic won a step on his marker, Charles De Ketelaere, and raced through to score.
Seven minutes later, Milan drew level. Sandro Tonali pounced on a sloppy pass from Hakan Calhanoglu and attacked the penalty area, leaving Stefan De Vrij stranded as he offloaded to Leão, who arrowed in from the left flank. The Portuguese finished first time across goal.
We were only just getting started. Milan and Inter would combine for 37 shots – the most this fixture has seen for 13 years.
Stefano Pioli said before kick-off that whoever won the individual duels would win the match. He sent his team out to prove it: Milan playing Inter one-on-one all over the pitch. Their aggression threatened to spill over at times, and Theo Hernández was fortunate not to see a second yellow before the end, but Milan found reward for their endeavour. Tonali would intercept passes twice more in midfield, each time launching immediate attacks.
Inter had a more patient plan, sitting in a low block that sought to draw their opponents forward and leave space for fast breaks. The plan worked perfectly for Brozovic’s goal but would be undermined in the second half by the paucity of their defending.
Milan’s Ultras have worked up a new chant this season, celebrating Olivier Giroud’s winning goal from February’s derby with a chorus of “Si è girato Giroud” – “Giroud on the turn”. For the next meeting, they might need to adapt it to “Giroud standing still”. The striker evaded his markers on Saturday by staying exactly where he was.
Leão received a throw-in by the left side of the box and sent in a low cross toward Giroud on the corner of the six-yard box. Inexplicably, Inter’s defenders moved away, leaving space for the Frenchman to sidefoot home.
