Magic Mike shuts the door on Inter, Pulisic delivers again, and Milan leapfrog their city rivals after a gritty, high-stakes Derby della Madonnina.
Inter 0–1 Milan — Matchday Recap
Milan walked out of San Siro with a massive derby victory, overtaking Inter in the Serie A standings and closing the gap to league-leading Roma. The story of the night was simple: Mike Maignan. The French goalkeeper delivered one of the finest performances of his Milan career, denying everything in sight—including a decisive second-half penalty from former Rossonero Hakan Calhanoglu.
Inter controlled the flow early, pinning Milan deep and creating the match’s clearest chances. Acerbi hit the post on a corner, Thuram tested Maignan, and Lautaro Martínez forced an outrageous save from close range. Milan, meanwhile, struggled to break free from Inter’s pressure, with Rafael Leao kept in check by a relentless Acerbi.
But the second half flipped the script. After Sommer spilled a low shot from Saelemaekers, Christian Pulisic pounced at the far post to make it 1–0—another clinical strike from the American, who continues to thrive under Allegri. Inter pushed hard, and a VAR check awarded Thuram a penalty that could have tied the match. But Maignan was in “Magic Mike” mode, diving perfectly to parry Calhanoglu’s effort.
Chivu’s late changes didn’t alter the outcome. Bonny missed Inter’s best chance in the final minutes, blasting over from the edge of the box. Milan’s defensive block—organized, disciplined, uncompromising—survived five tense minutes of added time to secure a statement victory and hand Inter their fourth league defeat.
Match Report
Scorers:
54’ Pulisic (MIL)
Inter (3-5-2):
Sommer; Akanji, Acerbi (85′ Diouf), Bastoni; Carlos Augusto, Barella (85′ Pio Esposito), Calhanoglu (77′ Zielinski), Sucic, Dimarco; Thuram, Lautaro (65′ Bonny).
Manager: Chivu
Milan (3-5-2):
Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana (78′ Ricci), Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic (78′ Nkunku), Leao (86′ Loftus-Cheek).
Manager: Allegri
Referee: Sozza
Bookings: Leao, Calhanoglu, Pavlovic
Expulsions: None
Notes: Calhanoglu missed a penalty (74’)
