What a nice derby! At the last breath. Without respite. We needed it. Finally with the warmth of the public. With whistles and applause. With the choirs and banners of the Curves and that Milan-Inter adrenaline that you can breathe only when San Siro is seething with cheering and passion. Not “We were a hundred thousand” as Celentano said in the Sixties, but 57 thousand screaming and singing are always a nice return to life after 91 weeks of pandemic that had anesthetized the super-challenge in Milan. The choreography of the Rossoneri curve dedicated to doctors and nurses involved in the fight against covid was also harsh.
This time, even if it ends 1-1 (Calhanoglu’s penalty in the 11th minute, de Vrij’s own goal in the 18th minute), it is a real, bloodthirsty derby, pulled up to the end credits even if everything happens in the first 45 minutes. After Milan’s equalizer, Lautaro, still on a penalty, would have had the chance to put Inter ahead. But strange things always happen in derbies: and Lautaro, with a sure shot, instead saw his low shot parried by the good Tatarusanu, a hero by chance after Maignan’s injury. And so this long-awaited and discussed Milan-Inter like the old derbies of the past takes another turn. The Devil remains afloat even in the second half when the Nerazzurri try in every way to find the double first with Barella and then again with Lautaro who ends out of a few meters. In the final, instead, AC Milan complained for a post hit by Saelemaekers and a free-kick from Ibra neutralized by Handanovic.
Those who are satisfied enjoy it, but the draw, let’s face it, only cheers Milan who remain hooked to the top together with Napoli (1-1 with Verona) keeping 7 points ahead of Inter and 10 over Atalanta, victorious 2-1 on Saturday on Cagliari.
Inter, on the other hand, remains like a child whose kite has been removed. Disappointed, with nothing in hand. Because those seven points behind, after 12 games, hurt. And after the stop of the national team, the Nerazzurri will have to deal with Napoli, not exactly a very easy customer. “The glass is half empty”, Simone Inzaghi says in his usual hoarse voice. He is right because Inter have had more opportunities to close the match. But without succeeding. Both for the not brilliant evening of his strikers, and for the tenacity of the Rossoneri, never resigned to defeat.
If Lautaro and Dzeko did not perform as expected, the one who pulled out his best cards was Calhanoglu, very determined in confirming the well-known law of the ex: the Turkish, whom Inzaghi trusted in midfield, immediately demonstrates a vitality never exhibited after his transfer to Inter. And taking advantage of a strange mess of Kessie, who is stubborn to return to his goal, he manages to get a penalty that he will then realize coldly despite the protests of the Rossoneri fans. It is not a very clear penalty, it will take a long examination of the Var, but in the end the penalty is there. Let’s say that Kessie, who came into contact with the Turk’s leg, doesn’t quite understand what came to mind, since he had all the ease of getting rid of the ball without getting entangled in that absurd turnaround. Coaches once shouted “long ball and pedal.” Now, however, all the technicians, to show how modern they are, demand the famous restart from below, forcing goalkeepers and defenders to risk these fools.