Five-Star AC Milan Defy the Odds and Inter in the Derby Della Madonnina

Hakan Çalhanoğlu stoked the fire ahead of the Milan derby.

On Sunday, the Turkish midfielder shared a not-so-subtle picture on his Instagram account in which the badges of Inter Milan and AC Milan were replaced by two stars and one star respectively.

The reference was clear, as the Nerazzurri added a second star to their badge last season after winning their 20th Scudetto, moving one clear of the Rossoneri’s tally of 19.

Since crossing the city divide in 2021 after four years with Milan, there has been no love lost between Çalhanoğlu and his former side.

With Inter going into Sunday night’s Derby della Madonnina on the back of six consecutive wins in the fixture, the 30-year-old undoubtedly relished the chance to torment the Rossoneri again.

But it was Inter who will have sleepless nights after Matteo Gabbia’s 89th minute header sealed a 2-1 win for Milan to give Paulo Fonseca some much-needed breathing room.

The Portuguese arrived in his first Milan derby with his job on the line after a disappointing start to the season.

The Rossoneri’s first four Serie A fixtures had delivered a solitary win – against Venezia – and they looked all at sea in their defeat against Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The debacle at the San Siro was followed by a frank exchange between Fonseca, the players and Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Whatever was discussed at Milanello, the message clearly reached its intended target.

Milan deliver their best performance of the season

Milan were on the front foot from the start, with Christian Pulisic opening the scoring just 10 minutes into the contest, to become the first American to score in the Milan derby.

Pulisic had scored after only three minutes against Liverpool, but Fonseca’s men capitulated after the visitors equalised.

But fears the scenario would repeat itself after Federico Dimarco drew Inter level halfway through the first half, were misplaced as Milan kept coming in the second half, with Inter keeper Yann Sommer denying Tammy Abraham, Rafael Leao and Tijjani Reijnders with a series of fine saves.

Sommer, however, could do nothing to stop Gabbia’s header, as the boyhood Milan fan wrote himself in Rossoneri’s folklore. 

“I think the lads played with a lot of heart, we totally deserved to win,” Fonseca said in his press conference. 

“I can’t remember the last time a team gave Inter such a hard time.”

Fonseca deserves praise for Milan’s bold approach. The Portuguese rolled the dice, starting Abraham alongside Alvaro Morata, with Pulisic and Leao on the wings in an ultra-attacking line-up that unsettled Inter.

Milan are now level with Inter on eight points after five matches, three adrift of surprise league leaders Torino, but Fonseca insisted it was not the time to be carried away.

Asked whether he felt his job was safer, the Portuguese insisted speculations over his future were nothing but background noise to him.

“It was an important win, but it should be the norm. 

“Will the calls for my sacking finally stop? For me, it’s all the same. I don’t listen [to radio shows], I don’t watch [TV], I don’t see anything [in the newspapers]. I haven’t been on social media for 10 months. It’s going to be a week of high confidence. 

“For me, it’s important to keep seeing the players believe in our ideas. We still need to improve, but this was a win for the players.”

Inter’s lack of sharpness costs them

While Milan surprisingly rose to the occasion and proved their doubters wrong, Inter uncharacteristically fluffed their lines on the biggest stage of all.

On the back of an impressive performance against Manchester City, the reigning Serie A champions looked as jaded as they had done a week ago in their draw against Monza.

Lautaro Martinez set up Dimarco’s equaliser, but again failed to find the net himself. The Inter captain finished as Serie A top scorer last term, but hasn’t scored a league goal since March 4.

The Argentine’s lack of form is becoming a concern, but Martinez isn’t the only player not yet firing on all cylinders, as Simone Inzaghi explained.

“We weren’t sharp,” the Inter boss said. 

“”We made the wrong choices, both on and off the ball: the two goals we let in show that. 

“I’m gutted, because I know what the derby means and we didn’t look like a team, like we have been for the last three years. Our minds were blank.”

Inter have two stars on their chest, but on Sunday night they come undone against a five-star Milan.