FULL-TIME! Internazionale 1-0 Milan.
90 min +5: The free-kick is cleared and Inter take the first derby of the season to continue their 100% start and climb to the top of the embryonic Serie A table. Milan sit in 12th, this their second defeat from three games. Thanks for reading. Bye!
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90 min + 5: Telles commits another foul, this time on Balotelli, who will send the ball in from deep in added added time.
90 min +4: Balotelli is across to take it. But it’s headed clear, where Bonaventura controls before hacking high and wide. Gotta do better from there.
90 min +3: Cerci takes on Telles down the right, and the Inter player fouls him. Red and black shirts pile forward. This could be their chance …
90 min: There will be five minutes added on. But Balotelli has been snuffed out in the past few minutes and Inter are managing this perfectly at the moment.
89 min: Bonaventura has a corner kick though … He goes deep but the outswinger went out of play. That’s criminal at such a late stage of an important game. Handanovic is in no rush to take the goal-kick.
88 min: Milan try to put the squeeze on but, really, they are finding it all so difficult with Inter putting everybody back.
85 min: A now rare Inter move forward ends with Telles sending a slack cross in to the arms of Telles from the left.
84 min: And now an Inter change: Ranocchia comes on for Perisic.
82 min: Balotelli wins a free-kick from Melo. He takes it himself. It dips over the wall, takes a bounce and Handanovic pulls off a terrific save. Corner incoming.
81 min: Milan make another change: Cerci coming on for a quiet Honda.
78 min: He’s running the show now. He dances between a pair of tackles from about 30 yards, shifting the ball from his left on to his right. Then he fires a rasping shot that has Handanovic beaten but it also beats the goal by half a yard. Close!
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77 min: Why can’t Balotelli play like this all of the time? Such a shame that someone so talented can lose his way so easily.
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75 min: Balotelli looks up for this. He skips past Santon and Melo but finds himself at too tight and angle to shoot, so attempts a pull back and wins a corner. He takes it himself, Telles gets rid but only to Balotelli. He sends the recycled ball back in from the left and that’s hoofed clear indefinitely.
72 min: Jovetic’s impressive evening if over, Palacio coming on for him.
70 min: Inter are dealing with this quite comfortably. They attack freely down the right after Melo wins the ball off Montolivo. The move ends with Icardi stooping and turning a header at the near post wide.
69 min: Play restarts but expect five minutes added on at the end after that break.
68 min: Jesus rolls his ankle and is stretchered off in absolute agony, Telles comes on for his debut. What a way to make it!
63 min: Seconds later Balotelli is fouled from behind by Melo, who is booked.
62 min: He takes a free-kick from the right immediately. He sends it to the back post. It’s a terrific delivery but Adriano cannot get to it, surrounded by Inter shirts.
61 min: How do Milan respond? Bring on Balotelli! Bacca makes way, surprisingly.
Goal! Internazionale 1-0 Milan (Guarin)
58 min: A goal fitting of any derby! The defence has opened up kindly for him but he gallops forward to about 25 yards out from goal and on his weaker left foot curls to Lopez’s right and in to the net. A beauty!
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55 min: Perisic sends a teasing cross from the left to the back post. Guarin is up and gets his head to it, deflecting off Zapata before Lopez tips it over for a corner. Jovetic takes it … to Guarin, whose header is over the bar this time.
53 min: Bacca dithers after finding himself in a good position. He eventually lays it off to Bonaventura, whose shot is deflected for a corner. He takes it short to De Sciglio – his cross is cleared.
51 min: Jovetic cynically pulls down Montolivo for the game’s 23rd foul.
49 min: Diego Lopez shanks a clearance. Jovetic takes it and is about shoot but he is denied by a smashing Zapata block.
47 min: Jovetic sports Jesus overlapping, plays it to him but the ensuing cross fails to beat the first man.
46 min: And within 10 seconds Adriano wins a free-kick after an aerial challenge from Melo.
We have restarted
46 min: Milan, who were out first and kept waiting by Inter, restart as the rain falls hard on not such a humdrum town.
The teams have returned to the field!
Half-time! Internazionale 0-0 Milan
A half bookended by the only shots on target – Adriano denied by Handanovic early on, the period closing with Icardi met by Lopez’s shot outstretched foot. In between there was lots of high tempo football but nothing in front of goal to report. Back soon!
45 min + 1: Inter break after the free amounts to nothing. Icardi is through, played on by De Sciglio and Abate. Icardi panics and Lopez saves with his feet.
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45 min: Kondogbia threads the toes of Montolivo. Free-kick in the centre circle. There will be one minute added on.
43 min: Honda concedes a foul 35 yards out. Jovetic floats it in, Guarin gets his head to it but it bounces once and falls harmlessley in to Lopez’s welcoming arms.
42 min: De Sciglo nicks it off Santon and bundles down the left flank. He feeds inside to Bacca who runs in to trouble.
39 min: Jovetttttticccc! He has a pop on his left from a little over 20 yards. It zips across goal, Lopez looks beaten but the ball is narrowly wide.
36 min: There has been one shot on target – Adriano’s early attempt saved by Handanovic. For all the frantic play and high tempo, the quality has not been particularly good.
32 min: Impressed by Adriano’s willingness to drop back when required. He has just cut out a wayward pass 20 yards inside his own half before starting an attack from deep. No matter that he briefly puts his hands on his knees to grab some air after rejoining an attack which breaks down when Kucka cannot control a long crossfield pass.
30 min: Game currently enduring its first lull now. There’s some head tennis near midfield before Milan attack but Murillo is across to take out Honda.
27 min: Jovetic tries to find Icardi near the penalty sport but he is penalised for backing in to Zapata, who was attempting to reach the ball first.
25 min: Perisic has not really shone too much in his first 25 minutes as an Inter player. Guarin looks the hosts’ most threatening and he has a stinging shot deflected out for a corner. Jovetic swings it in but it’s hacked clear.
22 min: Bonaventura buys a free-kick 30 yards from goal. Honda swings it in but it’s headed right back out … to Montolivo, whose cross is headed back out by Icardi and Santon eventually puts the ball out for a throw-in. Inter break after that and Jovetic wins a free-kick of his own when taken down by Abate. The Milan man becomes the first to receive a yellow card.
20 min: Adriano looking by far the most likely to find the net thus far. But there has been no real pattern developed – it remains frantic.
16 min: Good chance on the counter from Milan! Kondogbia has a go from way out and his shot can only find Abate’s head. Bonaventura breaks and feeds a wonderful through ball to Adriano. The striker is about to pull the trigger but Jesus is cross to save the day with a perfectly timed tackle.
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14 min: Jovetic spots Guarin free on the right after Milan commit too many forward. However Guarin’s pass to Icardi is poor and the Rossoneri have no problem stopping any danger developing.
12 min: Pace has eased a little now. Inter look to work it neatly down the right between Santon and Guarin and the former wins a free-kick near the touchline about 40 yards from goal. Medel and Murillo come forward but it ends up being taken short by Jovetic.
10 min: Honda zooms down the right (sorry!) before crossing towards the lively Adriano. Handanovic is out to make the catch, though.
8 min: Kucka comes off worse from a 50/50 with Jesus. The ball heads out for a throw but there will be a brief break for the former to pick himself back up. Good, we can breath once more!
AC Milan’s Juraj Kucka. Photograph: Luca Bruno/AP
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7 min: Adriano bursts clear of Murillo but the Inter defender recovers well and slides in to put the Milan striker off as he shoots over.
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6 min: Perisic chases a long ball but Zapata comes in and cleans up. He hoofs forward towards Bacca, but he is penalised for handling the ball as it dropped to him. End to end at the moment.
5 min: Adriano loses the ball to Kondogbia. He picks out Jovetic about 25 yards out. The former Man City man turns and shoots low and wide, failing to trouble Diego Lopez.
4 min: Quite a frantic start, unsurprisingly. Jovetic tries to find Icardi but he is met by a wall of red, black and white and Inter must recycle the ball and go again.
2 min: Great save from Handanovic! Milan make the most of a Murillo mistake, Bacca pounces on it and he feeds Adriano, whose clipped attempt is well saved by the Inter No1.
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1 min: Bonaventura fouls Santon deep in Inter’s half, body checking him as the Inter player attempted to dribble past. The first of many fouls, one would suspect.
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The 163rd Serie A Milan derby is underway
1 min: Gianluca Rocchi blows his whistle and Inter kick-off, playing from left to right as we watch.
The teams are out. The silly Serie A anthem is being blared out at a sold out San Siro. We are moments away.
The cast!
Internazionale: Handanovic; Santon, Medel, Murillo, Jesus; Guarin, Melo, Kondogbia; Perisic, Icardi, Jovetic. Subs: Carrizo, Palacio, Biabiany, Telles, Montoya, Ljajic, Ranocchia, Gnoukouri, D’Ambrosio, Nagatomo, Brozovic, Manaj.
Milan: Diego Lopez; Abate, Zapata, Romagnoli, De Sciglio; Kucka, Montolivo, Bonaventura; Honda; Luiz Adriano, Bacca. Subs: Abbiati, Donnarumma, Mexes, Suso, Cerci, Ely, Poli, Nocerino, Alex, De Jong, Balotelli, Calabria.
Referee: Mr Rocchi.
Preamble
Buona sera! Come stai? Sono contento! This is only the third round of games but already things appear so much different in Serie A this season. While Juventus, massive antepost favourites to retain their title at a canter, have only garnered a solitary point, and Chievo, Torino, Roma, Sassuolo and Palermo lead the way on seven points each, the Milan teams have had enough.
Both appearing a shadow of their former supreme selves last season, they spent big in the summer and their fervent fanbases expect at the very least a return to the Champions League if not a title challenge. This is the first time in six decades neither are competing on the continental front. The pressure is on and the players must respond. Inter come in to this as the only teamwith a 100% record, while Milan have won one and lost another. Victory for the home team will send them top. Victory for the visitors would put them a point behind the leaders.
Team news to follow. The Derby della Madonnina kicks-off at 8.45pm San Siro time, 7.45pm BST.
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