Inter Milan defeated their city rivals AC Milan 2-1 on Monday to secure the Serie A title, marking the club’s 20th trophy win in its history. Francesco Acerbi and Marcus Thuram scored goals for Inter, with Fikayo Tomori finding the net for AC Milan in the 80th minute. Both teams had a player sent off towards the end of the match as tensions rose.
Inter Milan sealed their victory with an unassailable lead of 86 points, 17 points ahead of Milan, with five games remaining in the season. Inter’s captain, Lautaro Martínez, expressed the team’s recognition of the historic moment, emphasizing the need to capitalize on the opportunity. The players celebrated their triumph with exuberance, with Martinez and Federico Dimarco even climbing onto the goal frame at San Siro.
The fans ignited flares and fireworks in the stands while the Inter players danced jubilantly in front of their supporters. A banner was unveiled, bearing the words “Repeat it to the Madonnina, who are the champions and who the crybabies.” The Madonnina refers to the statue atop Milan’s cathedral, symbolizing the city and after which the derby is named.
For coach Simone Inzaghi, this victory marked his first league title, having previously won eight other trophies. He reflected on the significance of winning the title with five matches to spare, especially in a derby against Milan at their home ground.
After their last Serie A win in the 2020-21 season, Inter faced two seasons without reclaiming the title, watching Milan and Napoli succeed in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively. However, this season was marked by Inter’s dominant performance, leading in both goals scored and the best defense in Serie A.
Lautaro Martínez’s exceptional goal tally, reaching 23 goals (before kickoff), positioned him as the top contender for the Capocannoniere award, with support from Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu, both hitting double figures in goals.
Inzaghi’s strategic use of wing-backs, bolstered by Benjamin Pavard, Alessandro Bastoni, and Stefan de Vrij’s stability in defense, allowed Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries to push forward effectively.
With this win, Inter Milan surpassed Milan in Italian league titles, having previously been tied at 19. Juventus holds the record with 36 championship wins.
A star is granted for every 10 Serie A titles, a feat only Juventus has achieved with their record 36 titles, earning them three stars.
The victory for Inter Milan in the Derby della Madonnina at San Siro, the stadium shared with Milan, was highly anticipated. Even though technically the away team, with only one end of the stadium filled with their black-and-blue-clad supporters, the significance of winning in this iconic derby was not lost on Inter.
Adding to the intensity, Inter had secured victories in the past five derby matches, including both legs of the Champions League semifinal last year and a dominant 5-1 win over Milan earlier in the Serie A season.
Inter took the lead in the 18th minute when Pavard redirected Dimarco’s corner to an unmarked Acerbi, who headed in from close range.
Martinez had a chance to extend Inter’s lead seven minutes later, but the top goal-scorer inexplicably missed an open goal from close range.
Milan gained confidence from this miss, and Rafael Leão had an opportunity to equalize after a swift counter-attack from Tomori, but his shot was straight at Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Thuram came close to increasing Inter’s lead, with his shot narrowly missing the far post.
The match was filled with back-and-forth action, with Milan’s captain Davide Calabria also forcing Sommer into a great save at the end of the first half.
Inter’s victory seemed inevitable when Thuram capitalized on a long ball from Bastoni, evading his marker to score from the left edge of the area into the near bottom corner, less than four minutes into the second half.
Milan mounted a late comeback, pulling one back in the 80th minute. Sommer made an impressive save from Matteo Gabbia’s header, but Tomori was quick to nod in the rebound. Tomori’s urgency was evident as he grabbed the ball and gestured frantically to his teammates, hoping for an equalizer to prevent Inter from securing the title.
As tensions rose, a scuffle erupted in stoppage time, resulting in red cards for Milan’s Theo Hernandez and Inter’s Denzel Dumfries. Calabria was also sent off moments later following another altercation.