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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Taha Hashim

Internazionale beat Milan 2-1 to win Serie A title – as it happened

Milan (Organization) Serie A Internazionale AC Milan Juventus Rossoneri

Right then, that’s enough from me. Thanks for joining. If you’re on the streets of Milan wearing black and blue, by all means, dance the night away.

Forget my words – it’s probably best to see the images coming through from Milan.

Just in case you missed the full-time scenes:

Calling his brother?

The all-nighter begins.

I can’t help but, with my Premier League-focused glasses, notice the presence of two former Manchester United players in Inter’s starting XI. Congratulations to Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Matteo Darmian on escaping Old Trafford to find true happiness elsewhere. Alexis Sánchez didn’t make it off the bench but gets another medal, too.

Not a classic game, but my word what it must be like to witness it all in Milan tonight. That is Inter’s first league title since 2021, when they were a very different side led by the orders of Antonio Conte and goals of Romelu Lukaku. Lautaro Martínez is now the main man up front, though Marcus Thuram stole the show tonight. For the current manager Simone Inzaghi, this is a first league title after three Coppa Italia triumphs: one with Lazio, two with Inter.

Updated

A reminder that, aside from the title glory, Inter now have six wins on the bounce against their roommates. Reminds me of my housemate who keeps beating me at tennis. Tough to take.

Well then, this was that Hernández and Dumfries scrap. The Milan full-back basically lost his cool to begin with, and the Dutchman wasn’t having any of it.

FULL-TIME: Milan 1-2 Internazionale (Inter win Serie A!)

Inter are champions of Italy for the 20th time! It ends with 10 against nine, this derby spiralling out of control at the end with some rather bad behaviour. Thuram turns out to be the match-winner, and the San Siro belongs to the men in blue and black tonight.

Updated

Red card for Calabria!

90+7 min: Another corner for Milan … but before that there’s an Inter man down by the goalmouth. Ooooh, a red card is shown to Calabria for throwing out an elbow. This is mad at the moment.

Updated

90+5 min: A corner for Milan … Maignan goes up for it, but Inter get out of trouble and Mkhitaryan wins a free-kick in his half.

Hernández and Dumfries are sent off!

90+4 min: Inter’s bench are readying themselves for a final-whistle invasion of the field. And, oooh, a scrap breaks out on the pitch. It’s turned into a rugby scrum, and a red card has been shown, but to who? Straight reds for Hernández and Dumfries it seems. And I’m not even sure what led to it …

Updated

90+2 min: A yellow for Tomori as he drags back Martínez.

90+1 min: Asslani’s shot for Inter is well wide. We’ve got five minutes added on … Pavard makes a fine challenge at the other end and even manages to win a goalkick with it.

90 min: Ouch! Gabbia launches himself into Martínez, properly slamming him to the ground. Free-kick to Inter out on the left.

89 min: A stop in play as Mkhitaryan recovers from a fall.

88 min: Bastoni is off for De Vrij. There have been a few other subs I’ve missed so forgive me; this is getting rather interesting.

86 min: A Milan flick inside the Inter box fails to finds Giroud, who is up and about trying to win the long punts forward.

Updated

84 min: Milan are pressing forward with genuine intent now, so desperate to be the party poopers.

GOAL! Milan 1-2 Internazionale (Tomori 80)

Hold up! Milan work it around the box, Chukwueze delivers one in to it. Leão heads across goal; Gabbia’s header at goal is saved brilliantly by Sommer, but Tomori is there to finally divert the ball in to Inter’s net. Suddenly, this game has just a hint of drama.

Updated

79 min: Sommer punches out a cross; Calhanoglu heads one out for a corner.

77 min: Calabria, still a believer, jinks his way into midfield from the right before going down under a foul. A ball into the box from the right finds the head of Giroud … but the cross lacks any power, and the tall Frenchman can’t cause any real havoc with it.

74 min: Pulisic, largely absent tonight, sets himself up for a left-foot smash inside the box after a nifty first touch. But his shot blazes over.

73 min: Dimarco has space out on the left and pings through a ball for Thuram to chase, but it’s too heavy.

71 min: Thuram outmuscles Bennacer to help Inter win a throw out on the right. When the throw comes in he then wins a corner, holding off Tomori and Hernández. He celebrates with a bit of applause, trying to get the crowd going. Serious strength.

Updated

68 min: Milan need to make changes; Milan do make some changes. Loftus-Cheek and Adli are off for Bennacer and Chukwueze. Adli breaks something on the sidelines with a swing of the leg; he’s not a particularly happy man at present.

Updated

66 min: There is very little energy in this game at the moment, the feeling very much as if everyone knows exactly where this is heading.

63 min: Smoke fills the San Siro, hindering my own view of proceedings. Mkhitaryan goes down on the edge of the Milan box after a lovely feint to deceive Loftus-Cheek but is, surprisingly, denied a free-kick.

Updated

61 min: Thuram, a continuous nuisance for Milan, is bundled down in his half. He’s been terrific.

58 min: Thuram pulls off a brilliant first touch to pluck the ball out of the air in his half and set up an Inter attack. Martínez crosses from the left, but it’s heavy, beating his strike partner’s run. The move ends with a Calhanoglu shot … but Martínez was offside from before, so it was a futile attempt.

57 min: Thuram, trying get on the end of a cross, takes down Gabbia. That must’ve hurt; the Inter forward is a proper powerhouse.

56 min: The camera pans to a young and tearful Milan fan. Musah wins a corner out on the right for tonight’s hosts.

54 min: The lively Dimarco drifts into the middle from the left before playing the ball to Martínez, who is squeezed away from causing danger by a flock of Milan shirts.

Updated

52 min: Giroud enters the game, replacing Reijnders. Just before that, the unbeatable Sommer denied Hernández with another decent stop.

Updated

GOAL! Milan 0-2 Internazionale (Thuram 49)

The title will be won tonight. Bastoni punts the ball down the left for Thuram to chase. He gets there, holds it up, and tries to play it to Mkhitaryan, but the ball bobbles back to him. He cuts inside and, with Milan unable to close him down, sends in a low shot past Maignan’s right. Inter are very nearly there.

Updated

48 min: Calabria has a bit of space on the right and tries to lace a ball in for Leão to chase, but it’s comfortably intercepted.

46 min: No changes for either side yet, so our man Olivier continues his waiting game.

Peep again!

Inter get things moving again.

I should’ve added, of course, that the goalscorer Acerbi is an ex-Milan man, having spent half a season there over a decade ago.

“Inter have been excellent but Milan,” writes Colum Fordham, “especially the ultra dynamic Leao, have the wherewithal to postpone the celebration of Inter’s inevitable scudetto triumph. And this would be particularly amusing for neutrals (I speak as a fan of Napoli who won it last year). And I’ll be able to rib the odd Neapolitan friend who perversely supports Inter.”

“No one should be allowed to celebrate a title in April, so I’m with the Mee-lan tifosi on this one. I hope they beat Eenter and delay the seemingly inevitable black and blue parade,” writes Peter Oh.

“Stoke City and West Ham United fans will probably want to see Marko Arnautovic make an appearance off the substitutes bench. I’m neither a Potter nor a Hammer but am intrigued by mercurial strikers who have managed to mature with age.”

As am I, Peter. Which is why I wanna see Olivier do his thing for AC.

Not the most thrilling 45 minutes I’ve been a witness to, not that Inter will care. They’ve maintained control, nicked a set-piece goal and hardly been threatened inside their own area. When they have, Sommer has come to the fore. Surely Milan must summon this man …

HALF-TIME: Milan 0-1 Internazionale

Inter are one half of football away from being champions of Italy for the 20th time.

45+1 min: Inter work it brilliantly down the left through Dimarco but when he cuts into the middle he’s met with a thuderous sliding challenge. While he appeals for a foul, Milan counter and Leão is nearly in on goal … until Pavard delivers a delicious tackle of his own.

Updated

43 min: That save from Sommer a few minutes ago was a fine reflex effort to deny Calabria, by the way.

40 min: A terrific save from Sommer to his left sets up an Inter break that ends with a stinging Mkhitaryan shot, met by the strong hands of Maignan. For just a brief passage, this thing turned all basketball.

Updated

38 min: Very nearly 2-0. Thuram plays the ball to Barella inside the box on the left, who plays it back to the forward in the middle. Thuram tries to find the bottom right corner, and really should, but sends it wide.

37 min: Dimarco fires his shot in to the wall after a layoff from Calhanoglu.

36 min: Barella thrusts forward and is taken down by Hernández, who gets a yellow. Inter have a free-kick from centre-right, shooting range.

Updated

35 min: Inter seem content with a game that lacks much zest, maintaining a solid shape when off the ball and unthreatened by any crosses that come into the middle.

33 min: A reminder to the uninitiated that Inter’s manager is Simone Inzaghi, brother of a Milan legend: Pippo, he who won them the Champions League 17 years ago.

Updated

32 min: Milan have a sustained period on the ball but a lofted ball in to the box causes Inter little consternation. Martínez goes into the book for a high foot that hurts Tomori.

Updated

29 min: Milan break with Musah, who plays in Leão inside the box. One-on-one with Acerbi, he shifts the ball on to his left foot before firing in a low shot. But Sommer is down quick and able to make what is, in the end, a comfortable save.

27 min: Leão wins Milan a corner after picking up the ball in the left channel … Adli delivers, Loftus-Cheek flicks on at the near post, but the ball finds its way back to Adli on the left. He tries to send the ball back in to the mixer but Calhanoglu does well to stop him.

25 min: Hernández cuts loose, driving from the left into the middle of the pitch, but loses it – and Inter break. Dimarco thunders forward, receives again inside the box after a delightful little flick from Thuram, and the low cross in from the left finds Martínez, who somehow doesn’t nab his 24th league goal of the season, firing high and wide from not far out.

23 min: Barella is the first man in the book for an awry challenge.

22 min: And now a free-kick for Inter from the right-hand side, Di Marco ready to whip in … and the cross turns into a shot, briefly threatening Maignan, who collected on his second go.

GOAL! Milan 0-1 Internazionale (Acerbi 18)

And the incoming champions lead. The corner comes in from Dimarco, the ball is flicked on at the front post, and Acerbi is waiting in the middle, unmarked, to head in comfortably from close range. Poor defensive work from Milan; clinical from Inter.

Updated

17 min: Thuram runs in behind and picks up the ball inside the box, twisting and turning before his low cross is dealt with by Tomori. Corner to Inter …

17 min: The corner goes short before Dimarco curls the ball in from the right … Maignan collects confidently.

16 min: A corner for Inter after Barella gets a ball in the box to Thuram, before Milan just about to deal with.

14 min: Gabbia fends off Thuram after a punt down Inter’s right wing. Milan then attack down their own right, with a bit of pinball inside the box preceding an effort from range by Hernández. The adventurous full-back’s shot is miles wide.

12 min: Hernández tries to dink over a ball for Loftus-Cheek to race on to. Milan begin to patiently move it from left to right, back and forth before Musah tries to create something … his cross from the right-hand side is far too deep, though, travelling out for a throw.

8 min: And we have our first sort-of fight! Hernández brings down Barella and both sides form a brief kerfuffle. All rather unnecessary but part of derby day.

7 min: A first decent move from Inter, with Darmian laying off a cross from the left for Martínez to hit first-time from just inside the box. It doesn’t threaten the net, however.

6 min: All rather quiet at the moment, a scrappy opening to this colossal fixture.

5 min: Leão is leading the line for Milan by the way, positioned centrally instead of out wide.

4 min: Martínez tries to slide in a ball to Thuram but the Inter forward is sandwiched by Milan shirts.

2 min: Pavard slides in with an interception to stop Leão racing down the left.

1 min: The ball is recycled back to Maignan in goal, before Milan try their luck with a punt down the left.

Peeeep!

Milan get things going, kicking from right to left on your screens. Let’s play!

OK then, the players are leaving the tunnel, all set to grace the San Siro field. Sort your snacks.

Finding this video of a moving bus, with the chosen music, quite amusing.

Here’s a little something to get you in the mood. Up top is that classic shot of Rui Costa and Marco Materazzi taking in the flares.

As an aside, I just want to say I very much enjoyed this on Nottingham Forest’s temper tantrum.

Milan make two changes from the starting XI that were eliminated from the Europa League last week by Roma: Olivier Giroud and Ismaël Bennacer are out; Yacine Adli and Tijjani Reijnders are in. Inter also make two changes from their last game, a 2-2 draw to Cagliari: in come World Cup winners Benjamin Pavard (class of 2018) and Lautaro Martínez (2022), with Yann Aurel Bisseck and Alexis Sánchez the men replaced.

The teams

Here’s how they’re looking.

Preamble

Hello, hello, hello and welcome to a potential shift in history. Yes, this is no regular Derby della Madonnina. Victory will give Inter their 20th league title, moving them ahead of Milan on the Scudetto list (with Juventus sitting comfortably up top with a whopping 36). The men in blue and black are 14 points ahead of their second-placed rivals, and the only possible joy available to Messrs Giroud, Loftus-Cheek, Tomori, Pulisic (the Milanese Blues) and co is to delay the victory parade.

Powered at one end by the goals of Lautaro Martínez (23), and at the other by the clean sheets of Yann Sommer (17), Inter have lost just once in Serie A this season and that was back in September to Sassuolo. This is their title to collect, and how sweet it would be for the coronation to coincide with a sixth consecutive win over the Rossoneri. Regardless of the result, this should be rather fun. Kick-off’s at 7.45pm BST.

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Inter Milan 32 60 83
2 AC Milan 32 26 69
3 Juventus 33 21 64
4 Bologna 32 20 59
5 Roma 31 21 55
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