GdS: ‘Decided in the return’ – Milan-Inter broken down into four themes

SempreMilan

·3 April 2025

GdS: ‘Decided in the return’ – Milan-Inter broken down into four themes

The verdict regarding who will be present in the Coppa Italia final out of AC Milan and Inter has been postponed by three weeks after last night’s draw.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write in their post-game analysis, it was an evening marked by Tammy Abraham, the executioner of Riyadh, and Hakan Calhanoglu, the least loved Inter player on the other side of the Naviglio.

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They were two significant scorers in a 1-1 that postpones everything to the second leg of the semi-final on April 23. It was technically not an unforgettable derby, but fought with good intensity. All in all an honest draw, even if Inter had seven shots on target to four.

In all four seasonal derbies, curiously, we have never seen the most ruthless and cynical version of the Nerazzurri who, even this time, have not capitalised on their moments of domination. Lautaro was absent, Marcus Thuram wasn’t at his best and the attack did not shine.

Milan show up

Milan’s merit was to have hidden the 20-point gap in the league with a serious, applied performance, even in defence, after the horrible first half against Napoli. It is true that Mike Maignan made six saves, but it is also true that Inter came from five victories with at least two goals per game.

For once, Sergio Conceiçao fielded a logical team – including Rafael Leao – which was balanced and compact. The Rossoneri did well to contain and take the lead, but were less good at exploiting the subsequent tactical scenario that allowed them to counter more.

They retreated to defending the 1-0 too early, which allowed Calhanoglu’s equaliser. In build-up, Milan got too little from Tijjani Reijnders and Christian Pulisic, usually leaders in this particular aspect. Especially in the first half, Leao’s moments seemed to be the only safe haven.

However, Milan – in their fourth derby of the season – have not yet lost one and the prospect of closing this foolish season with a second trophy remains open. The final in Rome on May 14 is not a utopia.

Inter back up from the ropes

More than the pride of avenging the defeat to Napoli, Milan remembered the goals conceded at the start at the Maradona and started with a deep block. After 15 minutes the Nerazzurri’s possession had already reached 69%.

Simone Inzaghi’s plan is clear in the two phases: Frattesi-Reijnders, Barella-Fofana, Calhanoglu-Pulisic to close the creative taps of the Diavolo. In the possession phase, Calhanoglu very deep to build out and very high wing-backs to play one on one with the four defenders of Conceiçao.

Photo by AC Milan

In particular, Bisseck and Darmian tried to slip behind Leao to play two on one against Theo. Set up like this, Inter looked for the space in behind more than usual, also because the absence of Mkhitaryan takes away quality from ball handling.

Frattesi started very badly, losing ball after ball. However, the Nerazzurri had full control of the game and created the best moments: in the ninth minute Correa come close to taking the lead in the 21st minute a header from De Vrij forced Abraham to clear from the goal line.

Houdini-like Leao

Inzaghi prepared a three-man cage (Bisseck, Frattesi, Darmian) to contain Leao, but Rafa evaded them like Houdini and shot diagonally deep inside the box. Martinez, more like Dibu than Josep, blocked it with a save doing the splits.

After a flash of Milan, Inter closed the half on the attack. Maignan tipped a Calhanoglu free-kick over the bar and then saved a Frattesi header from a Thuram cross. The blue side of the city perhaps went in feeling guilty of missing chances.

The Rossoneri, on the other hand, would have to get more from Pulisic and Reijnders because they knew they could not live on Leao alone. In fact, Milan immediately restarted with a different pace and in the second minute of the second half Inter immediately paid for the waste of the first half.

The goals come

Frattesi completed his terrible match by making a mess. The ball ricocheted to Abraham, who turned like Giroud and scored with a low diagonal shot. The yards of space that Bisseck gave to the centre-forward were incomprehensible and unforgivable.

A curling shot by Barella drew another stop from Maignan to deny the immediate Nerazzurri reaction, but now on the chessboard is the game that is dear to the Diavolo: counter-attacking as the space opened up.

In fact, the Rossoneri managed a couple of breaks against an unbalanced Inter, but they did not take advantage of it and, above all, they stopped trying to do so too soon and retreated back inside their walls.

When Calha unleashed a rocket from outside the area, the wall came down. Conceiçao’s substitutions didn’t pay off as well and in the end Zalewski and Mkhitaryan both drew further saves from the Frenchman in Milan’s goal.

Everything will be decided in the return leg. Inter will now go back to their main targets (the Scudetto and the Champions League), Milan will seek the most dignified end to the season possible. As the fans reminded us at the final whistle: “We want eleven lions!”