Matteo Gabbia soaked up the limelight as the Milan hero in Sunday’s Derby della Madonnina, powering home a late header to secure a vital triumph for his side. Paulo Fonseca’s charges bounced back from a 3-1 Champions League defeat to Liverpool with a confidence-boosting 2-1 triumph against arch-rivals Inter.
Fonseca’s job was on the line heading into the match. No one believed Milan could end a six-game losing run against Inter. However, the Portuguese manager changed his line-up, and it worked wonders.
Christian Pulisic scored a mesmerizing solo goal to put Milan in front only ten minutes into the game. But their celebration was short-lived as Federico Dimarco leveled the score midway through the first half.
When it looked like the eternal enemies would share the spoils, Gabbia latched onto Tijjani Reijnders’ set-piece delivery, placing his devastating header beyond Yann Sommer’s reach to seal three points for Milan.
The homegrown Milan defender couldn’t hide his delight after inspiring his childhood club to a precious victory against their fiercest rivals.
“I am so happy for us, for the fans. It was a pretty difficult moment when things weren’t going well, but I am sure this game will give us a real energy boost. I am so pleased for the team and those people in the stands,” the Milan center-back said.
“I won’t say this game must become normal, but this kind of spirit must be the norm. We have to give our all on the field and that will make us and the fans proud, then we’ll see whether the results go our way or not.
“It is our duty to give our all. There are negative moments in life and in careers, we must make sure that we don’t have regrets at the final whistle and that’s what happened today. We are always by the side of the coach, despite what is said outside,” the Milan ace concluded.
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