Milan defeats Inter 3-1 in Milan derby, ends nine-game unbeaten streak
Posted on 11/01/26 at 12:18
AC Milan won 3-1 against Inter on Saturday, October 31, at San Siro in the Milan derby (Derby della Madonnina) of Serie A, ending the nerazzurri’s nine-game unbeaten streak in the tournament. American Christian Pulisic opened the scoring in the 4th minute, and Belgian Diego Moreira was the star with a goal and two assists.
A blistering start for Milan
The match started with an early blow. In the 4th minute, Moreira calmly controlled the ball on the right flank and sent a cross that Pulisic headed into the lower left corner, after a shot from the center of the area.
The lead was extended in the 10th minute. Moreira designed a corner kick that found Adrien Rabiot in the center of the area, and the midfielder defined it with his left leg to the lower right corner. The play took Inter goalkeeper Josep Martínez by surprise.
Bastoni scores, but Moreira responds
Inter reacted shortly after. In the 22nd minute, Hakan Çalhanoglu took a corner kick; Manuel Akanji headed the ball on, and Alessandro Bastoni headed it in from close range to make it 2-1.
After that goal, the momentum shifted to the visiting team, but Mike Maignan prevented the score from being tied. The French goalkeeper deflected a shot from Çalhanoglu over the crossbar, quickly saved a header from Marcus Thuram after a corner kick, and denied a goal to Djed Spence with a quick reaction.
Before halftime came the decisive blow. In the 43rd minute, Moreira took a free kick with his left leg, lifted the ball over the wall, and placed it in the upper right corner, with no chance for Martínez. According to the report, there were doubts about whether he or Pulisic would take it, and the decision proved to be correct.
A second half of resistance
In the second half, Inter sought to score, but couldn’t find the way. Andy Diouf attempted a chip at the 10-minute mark, and Carlos Augusto headed a good cross from Çalhanoglu wide. Strahinja Pavlovic was key in protecting the lead with a timely tackle, then pressured Thuram, who could only send a shot straight to Maignan.
Inter claimed a penalty for a handball, but the decision was reversed: the VAR confirmed that the ball had hit Mario Gila’s abdomen. Already in added time, substitute Alphadjo Cissè was close to Milan’s fourth goal, although Martínez deflected his shot over the crossbar.
The protagonists’ stats
- Diego Moreira (Milan): one goal and two assists, for Pulisic’s and Rabiot’s goals.
- Adrien Rabiot (Milan): two total shots.
- Luka Modric (Milan): 67 accurate passes.
- Koni De Winter (Milan): 19 defensive interventions.
- Mike Maignan (Milan): seven saves.
- Manuel Akanji (Inter): 92 accurate passes.
- Carlos Augusto (Inter): three total shots and 13 defensive interventions.
- Josep Martínez (Inter): one save.
What the result means
With this win, Milan extended its unbeaten streak in the derby to five games. Additionally, according to an Associated Press report, the result left Lazio as the new league leader. For Inter, it was the first defeat of the season in Serie A after nine games without losing.