The Nerazzurri capped off an amazing 2023 Derby della Madonnina calendar year with an emphatic 5-1 victory over brotherly rivals Milan. It was to be Inter’s record fifth straight head-to-head win – a feat never managed before by either team in the history of the momentous derby. And the manner in which Inter have taken the sting out of the Rossoneri in recent years is an understated fact.
Here is how the five Milan Derby encounters panned out since the duo first took on each other in the Supercoppa Italiana final back in January.
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Milan 0-3 Inter (19/01/2023) – Supercoppa Italiana
The first one-sided derby of the season was the 234th meeting between the two rivals and a first in Saudi Arabia. Federico Dimarco broke the deadlock inside the opening 10 minutes following a well-etched team goal, before Edin Džeko doubled the Nerazzurri’s lead with a thumping finish into the far corner. Milan then emerged wasteful after the break, taking advantage of which Lautaro Martinez struck in the 77th minute to seal Inter’s 7th Italian Super Cup title in fantastic fashion.
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Inter 1-0 Milan (06/02/2023) – Serie A Matchday 21
Milan were already in freefall ahead of the derby, with little over two weeks to recover from the Super Cup whitewash. They arrived into the clash without a win in four league outings and on the back of a 5-2 thrashing at home against 16th placed Sassuolo, and Martinez only made it worse for the Rossoneri. The Argentine struck a near-post header in the first-half to leave Milan feeling blue, after which the designated away side failed to equalize following the break.
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Milan 0-2 Inter (11/05/2023) – UEFA Champions League Semi-final 1st leg
One of the most anticipated matches of the football season went entirely the Nerazzurri’s way after the Rossoneri were dealt a blow even before kick-off, in the form of Rafael Leao’s failed fitness test. Milan ended up seeing stars within the opening dozen minutes as Inter, via Džeko and Mkhitaryan, condemned Milan to stare down the barrel of a two-goal defecit in the club’s first UCL last-four appearance since 2007. Pioli’s men failed to cope with what came after, with the second-leg less than a week away.
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Inter 1-0 Milan (17/05/2023) – UEFA Champions League Semi-final 2nd leg
Milan surprisingly dominated in the initial minutes in a bid to overturn their first-leg deficit, but Inter stood strong backed by Simone Inzaghi’s balanced plan. Wastefulness pricked the Rossoneri for much of the encounter, as Martinez once again turned spoilsport, netting the winner 15 minutes from full-time with a smashing shot past Mike Maignan, booking Inter’s first UCL final appearance since Jose Mourinho’s treble days.
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Inter 5-1 Milan (16/09/2023) – Serie A Matchday 4
Both teams took to the pitch having won their respective opening three games of a league season for the first time since 1971/72. Inter established complete dominance over the Rossoneri in this one-sided encounter with early goals from Marcus Thuram and Mkhitaryan. Although Milan got one back via Leao on the hour mark, they gradually slumped further, conceding three late goals to drown in derby humiliation.
There have been 14 Derby della Madonnina encounters since the turn of the decade. The Nerazzurri, who were first led by Antonio Conte before Simone Inzaghi took over, might have not changed drastically from their 3-5-2 formation, but the style in which they have gained the psychological edge over their neighbors is something worth exploring, especially since the start of the year. Meanwhile, Stefano Pioli’s Milan have gone downhill since winning the Scudetto in 2021/22, particularly with regards to local bagging rights.
It takes time for a team in a rivalry as historic as the Milan Derby to muster an edge over the other. While fast payouts might be the norm in other industries such as online casinos and sports betting, it takes resilience, team work and a certain tactical outlook to register the standing where Inter are at the moment.
Simone Inzaghi’s men are strong favorites to lift the 2023/24 Scudetto, but only time will tell if the Nerazzurri can maintain their momentum going deep into the season and dethrone Napoli.
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