Inter Dominates Milan Champions League Derby But Fails to Finish the Job
For AC Milan, the atmosphere was rather better than the performance. San Siro may have been boisterously noisy and passionately pro-Milan, but Stefano Pioli’s side was shambolic enough in the first half that the tie might have been ended within half an hour. As it is, a 2–0 win for Inter in what was technically its away leg leaves it the distinct favorite to progress to the Champions League final in Istanbul. However, Milan will feel it got away with it, that it could have been a lot worse.
Home advantage means less when the two sides share a stadium—there is no debilitating travel, no having to learn the idiosyncrasies of an unfamiliar venue—but support is a clear factor. Amid the chants and the flares, though, the ecstatic celebration of being on this stage for the first time in 16 years, it was AC Milan that seemed to wilt.
AC Milan’s midfield, led by Sandro Tonali, could not contain Inter’s fierce attack in the first leg.
IMAGO/Uk Sports Pics Ltd
Milan’s strength in this Champions League campaign had been its defense. Between conceding to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang against Chelsea in October and Victor Osimhen’s late goal for Napoli in the second leg of the quarterfinal, it had kept five successive clean sheets. Pioli’s side is clearly not the most gifted—there is a reason it lies only fifth in Serie A—but it had got the basics right and had progressed in the old-fashioned way. But that all fell apart in the first quarter Wednesday. Credit Inter for the crispness of its passing and the certainty of its intent, but Milan was weirdly, inexcusably open in those early exchanges.
Edin Džeko is 37 now, but he has been consistent a goalscorer throughout his career, a curiously underrated forward, perhaps because he does not have the obvious grace of other strikers. But after eight minutes he outmuscled Davide Calabria to hook a smart volley into the net.
Three minutes later, as the back of Milan’s midfielder disintegrated and the two central defenders were pulled out of position, Henrikh Mkhitaryan ran through to add a second. Fikayo Tomori had a night to forget, while Simon Kjær seemed to spend the whole night firefighting. Part of the problem was that Inter plays with two forwards, which means there is no spare man at the back in a back-four: Both central defenders have to mark. That places the onus on the two holding midfielders to offer cover and in those opening minutes, they simply did not.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu smacked a shot against the post and then Lautaro Martínez went down in the box as Kjær seemed to brush his trailing leg. The referee Jesús Gil gave the penalty only to be asked to look against by VAR, which was something of a surprise: There hadn’t been a huge amount of contact, but neither was it a clear and obvious error even if the eventual decision was probably correct. With 33 minutes gone, Inter could have had the tie effectively won.
Milan did improve after that, as though the penalty decision checked the sense of momentum in Inter’s favor, but the home side was still remarkably open. Tomori is 25 now and a regular; he is no longer a neophyte. He seems the victim of the same problem that afflicts Dayot Upamecano at Bayern: He excels in the majority of league games because he is good on the ball, but his defensive shortcomings are exposed every time he comes up against high-class opposition. His decision to go to ground was a contributory factor in the Martínez penalty incident.
The injury loss of Ismaël Bennacer early on clearly unsettled Milan, forcing a rejig of its midfield, and perhaps adding to the pressure on Sandro Tonali and Rade Krunić. It was already without Rafael Leão due to a thigh injury, but, still, the first half was poor. There was more of a threat from Milan in the second half and Tonali had a shot off the post, but it wasn’t until nine minutes from time that Milan managed its first shot on target.
Leão should be back for the second leg next Tuesday, and Inter’s history is littered with examples of promising positions surrendered, but at this stage the only concern for Inter is that the tie isn’t already done. It could have had its place in the final wrapped up by halftime, and failing to finish off an opponent is such circumstances always risks a comeback and regret.
But after Wednesday’s showing, Inter should have few problems finishing the job in its notional home leg.
