AC Milan 1-2 Inter Milan
Inter Milan have won the 2023/24 Serie A title with five games to spare thanks to a drama filled 2-1 win over city rivals AC Milan.
The Milan Derby was the perfect opportunity for Inter to take the 2024 Scudetto and Simone Inzaghi’s men started like a house on fire as Francesco Acerbi headed the opener before Milan got into the game. Marcus Thuram scored the second soon after the break and it all looked plain sailing until Fikayo Tomori pulled a goal back for AC Milan.
I Rossoneri belatedly huffed and puffed but to no avail and, in at hot tempered finish, they finished with nine men and Inter finished with ten; but the Blue and Black side of Milan are now in full party swing.
How the action unfolded
The Serie A 2024 betting odds have long given up on anyone stopping I Nerazzurri from winning the Scudetto for a 20th time, and with just 18 minutes on the clock, Acerbi rose unmarked to head home from a corner sent in by Benjamin Pavard and the title inched ever closer to Inzaghi’s team.
And the Nerazzurri really should have been 2-0 up on 25 minutes but Lautaro Martinez skied his shot when a low cross from Federico Dimarco offered him a tap-in.
At the other end of the pitch AC Milan were missing the benched Olivier Giroud when they had a chance from a corner, and when Rafael Leao had a clear sight of goal he shot straight at Yann Sommer.
Marcus Thurman had a good chance to double the lead before the break but he fired his effort wide, and the Champions elect went in with a one goal lead thanks to wingback Pavard, who whipped the ball off Leao’s toes just as the Milan striker was about to pull the trigger.
When Thuram had another opportunity, four minutes into the second half he took it, and in brilliant fashion as he evaded the Milan challenges on the edge of the penalty area before firing a low shot into the bottom corner.
The Scudetto was now within touching distance.
Inzaghi’s team last lost a league game in September and though I Rossoneri are their closest rivals they looked in very little danger. Christian Pulisic, one of Milan’s most in form players had been largely anonymous and even the addition of Giroud did little to trouble a well organised Inter defence.
But you should never say ‘never’ and, with ten minutes of normal time remaining Milan halved the deficit. And the goal came from an unexpected source as centre back Fikayo Tomori was first to react when Sommer parried a header.
That goal changed the atmosphere within the San Siro and Pulisic, seemingly awakened, almost created a goal when he fizzed a ball in across the six yard box, but no-one could apply the finishing touch. Milan who had been so compliant for much of the game now seemed intent to spoil the Inter party and, as tempers flared, both Milan’s Theo Hernandez and Inter’s Denzil Dumfries were red carded.
Milan went down to nine when Davide Calabria flung an elbow and received his marching orders; and that was the end of the action, as Inter won the derby…and the Serie A title.
Martinez is the man for this season
With 23 goals this season Lautaro Martinez has a firm grip on the Capocannoniere, seven ahead of Dusan Vlahovic in second place and he also went into this game as the highest scoring Inter player in the Derby di Milano. He had eight goals in 15 appearances against I Rossoneri and he was one of nine Inter players to previously breach the Milan defence. Henrikh Mkhitaryan has netted four times against Milan, three times for Inter and once as a Roma player
He had a quiet game this evening but he’s rarely been out of the Serie A 2024 highlights and now Martinez has picked up a second Scudetto, and he’s about to win the Italian Golden Boot.
What’s next?
With Roma and Bologna battling it out for fourth place, a Monday game we previewed here at SBOTOP, and Juventus pretty solid in third place, it’s going to be a Milan top two.
But that’s pretty much it for the Milan giants this season.
Inter crashed out of the Champions League, losing to Atletico Madrid in a quarter-final penalty shootout, and with the Coppa Italia also out of their reach this is the climax of Inzaghi’s season. But what a climax!
I Rossoneri have a quiet diary too, after losing to AS Roma in the quarter finals of the Europa League and exiting the Coppa Italia, they have just the league to concentrate on. But tonight the Rossoneri stood aside for the 2024 Serie A Champions…Inter Milan.
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