European football roundup
Full-time: Milan 0-2 Inter
A comprehensive, deserved win for Inter, whose mettle for the title was untested by a poor performance from Milan. Not that Milan lacked effort, just quality. Lukaku’s goal was a typical header on a night he was actually rather quiet but Antonio Conte looks to have Inter heading in the right direction, having made an almost instant impact on the previously ailing giant. It’s a 100% record so far for his team. Milan are in ninth place, and suffering, having already lost twice.
🖤💙👉DERBY WINNERS 👈🖤💙
— Inter (@Inter_en) September 21, 2019
THIS IS OUR NIGHT! 🌃#MilanInter #DerbyMilano pic.twitter.com/LPziqx4OqP
Inter win the first derby of the season
— AC Milan (@acmilan) September 21, 2019
Va all'Inter il primo Derby della stagione#MilanInter 0-2 #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/ieHEG3DknD
Updated
90+3 min: Almost a third. Candreva, on the break, skips away, then fires a shot that came off a Milan defender off one post and then another.
90+1 min: Suso continues to buzz around, but Inter’s defence has had his measure and those of his fellow Milan attackers all evening.
90 min: Five minutes added on in stoppage time.
89 min: Inter sat back on this now. AC Milan trying to find a way through but we are in the last knockings.
88 min: Some glum faces in red and black. It seems fair to predict that the city spoils in terms of the league table will be going to Inter.
86 min: Rebic’s flick sets Theo Hernandez on a run that takes him deep into the Inter defence and, with nobody else to pass to, he rattles his left-foot shot off the post. Milan’s subs have all been decent, begging the question why they didn’t start in the first place. Marco Giampaolo will have severe questions to answer after this.
84 min: Milan have a free-kick that Biglia makes a right mess of. Their fans are heading home now.
83 min: Rebic, on for Leao as Milan’s final sub, looks instantly lively. But he looks to have been introduced far too late.
82 min: Inter sub: Barella off for Candreva. There will be no sighting of Alexis Sanchez tonight.
80 min: Lukaku is full of confidence and lays off the ball to Politano for a shot that rattles off the crossbar. The team most likely to score next at this point is Inter.
79 min: Who enjoyed that more? Madame Lukaku or Antonio Conte? There was a real beamer on the face of Inter’s manager. Imagine if they had hooked up at Chelsea. Romelu and Antonio, not Conte and Madame Lukaku, that is.
Goal! AC Mlan 0-2 Inter (Lukaku, 78)
“Maman, je t’aime,” says Lukaku as he runs to the camera after making a great header from Barella’s great cross. A fine goal and one on his derby debut.
76 min: Sub for Inter: Martinez of for Politano.
75 min: Godin’s foul on Paqueta sets up a free-kick that comes to nothing for AC Milan when Romagnoli pushes his opposing defender.
72 min: Subs: Rodriguez off for Theo Hernandez, the Frenchman signed from Real Madrid, for Milan. Inter take off Sensi and put on Vecino.
Hernandez, by the way, is the brother of Lucas Hernandez of Bayern Munich.
Updated
71 min: AC Milan pushing on now, and Inter sitting back. Fatal, perhaps, but it was Antonio Conte’s team who did most of the running for the first hour.
69 min: Godin sweeps up Piatek and Suso with some fierce tackling and cool play. Milan’s attack is looking brittle, toothless.
66 min: At last, some combination play from Martinez and Lukaku, but the Argentinian’s shot is blocked. Then there is one hell of a stramash in the AC Milan box after which Donnarumma cliams the ball.
64 min: Milan sub: Paqueta comes on for Calhanoglu on the left-hand side of midfield. He goes close - almost instantly - to setting up a chance for Piatek.
63 min: Milan push forward, perhaps realising that’s the best way of protecting their creaking backline. There is not much composure when they get forward, though.
61 min: More heavy pressure from Inter. Brozovic’s shot, then Martinez’s volley and Donnarumma is kept busy. Milan hanging on.
60 min: A brief glimpse of where Milan might benefit when Leao goes close to burning off Godin for pace only for the old dog to recover.
57 min: Inter forward in numbers before Brozovic has a shot from distance. In the San Siro, the fireworks are going off. The ‘away’ team is very much in the ascendancy.
55 min: Suso is brought down and wins a free-kick. There is a call for the free-kick having hit a hand but no dice. Lukaku defends the corner with a towering header.
54 min: What can Milan find? They are under the cosh. Sensi had chance to release Lukaku but chose not to find his team-mate, instead running into a wall of defenders.
52 min: Inter had begun the half as the brighter team but that goal was somewhat scrappy, and confusing with the VAR adding extra spice to the confusion. This is the second season of VAR in Serie A and they are getting used to it. There was little in the way of protest from Milan’s players. Leao’s deflection was a result of a rather less than manly addressing of Brozovic’s free-kick.
Goal! AC Milan 0-1 Inter (Brozovic, 50)
Goal? Or is it? Brozovic’s free-kick squirms off the wall, and into the goal. But is Martinez interfering with play? He looked onside. It came off Leao, and there is some VAR. The ref runs to look at it, and decides it’s a goal. Conte’s celebration is muted. But the Inter fans’ is not.
Updated
48 min: First booking. Sensi is fouled by Conti and makes enough of it that the Milan defender gets a yellow....
47 min: Lautaro Martínez was upended as he went on a winding run; he and Lukaku rather operating as satellites of each other.
46 min: Lukaku begins the second half by chasing a long ball but Donnarumma comes out to clear, bailing out Romagnoli as he does so.
There have been no changes at half-time as we go again in this finely balanced derby.
A familiar face on the mark in the latest update of our Euro roundup.
Half-time: AC Milan 0-0 Inter
Chances for both teams and both have had the ball in the net, only to see their attempts disallowed. Donnarumma has been outstanding as a shot-stopper for Milan which suggests that Inter have shaded it so far.
45+2 min: Lukaku has gone quiet but he does his job at the other end, heading away a Suso free-kick. Inter having to get through some defensive labour as the half-time whistle approaches.
45 min: There will be three minutes added on.
44 min: Milan’s best chance? Leao gets to the byline and dinks it up for Piatek, whose header is too high. Ambrosio, at wing-back, was beaten all ends up by Leao’s skill and pace.
42 min: AC Milan’s Kessie is down, with what looks like a shoulder problem. The lull in player sees Donnarumma run to the bench for advice. Milan have been having trouble playing out from the back against Inter’s pressing game. Kessie recovers himself to carry on
41 min: Suso sets off on a winding run, having left Sensi for dead, and with just Handanovic to beat - or so it seemed - Asamoah, running back, got in a vital block.
39 min: That disallowed goal got the AC Milan fans going when their team has not been capable of doing so. That’s one benefit of VAR, though in truth it was the referee who had ruled out the goal out in the first place.
36 min: Inter get the ball in the net, and Conte is jumping for joy. Donnarumma made a great save from a spectacular overhead volley from Ambrosio and Martinez knocks it into the goal...but, it’s disallowed and after a lengthy VAR break it’s ruled out completely. Ambrosio was offside and so perhaps was Ambrosio.
Updated
34 min: Giampaolo, the AC Milan coach, seems to have shifted his team around with the aim of gaining control of midfield. It’s not paying off at the moment since Inter have stepped it up again. Barela forces a corner.
33 min: Antonio Conte’s watery blue eyes are beginning to charge with energy. Could be a fun half-time for his players; he has never lost to Milan in his career and he will not want to start with his first Milan derby.
31 min: John Davis writes in, pinpointing an MBM-er’s worst nightmare: “Hope this missive finds you well. Idly perusing the starting line-ups, I noticed there are five separate diacritics (accents on letters - yes, I did wiki that) in the AC Milan team: Kessié, Çalhanoğlu, Piątek, Leaõ. That seems like quite the haul. One for The Knowledge?”
30 min: Godin’s nous and sheer experience means that he has the vision to come across and stop a ball aimed for Leao. He takes no prisoners but is all class, too.
28 min: Inter on the back foot; their turn to look for the counterattack.
26 min: That corner is cleared straight away and when Conti tries to get the ball back in. Milan settle for some possession, choosing to rest on the ball.
25 min: Milan stepping this up? Calhanoglu has a shot and Milan force a corner.
23 min: Milan have the ball in the net when Calhanoglu fires past Handanovic, but the ball had bounced off Kessie’s elbow. Remember, if a hand and elbow is involved, then the goal will be ruled out. Still, at least Milan were able to mount an attack. The referee had blown the whistle when the scorer was swinging at the ball. He played dumb but must have known.
Updated
21 min: Inter hit the post! It seemed a certain goal. Sensi’s pass found Martinez, and the ball falls for D’Ambrosio who clear on goal and with it gaping. He hits the woodwork under duress from Rodriguez. Another fine save from Donnarumma and his defender bailed him out.
20 min: Donnarumma did well there, but Lukaku will know he might have done far better with that chance. It was the type of finish Manchester United fans may recognise.
19 min: Chance for Lukaku! He gets one one one after a fine Martinez flick and his right-foot shot is saved by Donnarumma. The angle didn’t quite open up for the Belgian.
Updated
17 min: So far, this has not been a great advert for the new Serie A but it does feature the teams with the best defensive record in the league - both have conceded just one goal.
16 min: Godin goes on a loping run forward from defence, and Lukaku gets chance to speed on. His cross is headed away and Lautaro is fouled as Milan fail to clear the ball. A free-kick chance it is, which Sensi takes but the wall jumps as one to nod stop it reaching Donnarumma.
15 min: Donnarumma has yet to win a Milan derby since his first with the club.
13 min: AC Milan being pushed back, but have the counter as their weapon. Inter’s defence is not the quickest.
11 min: Lukaku, dropping deep and with his back to goal, sets up an attack with his hold-up play but the move comes to nothing....but..ooh...Rodriguez plays the ball back to Donnarumma and the goalkeeper had to scramble it when Barella was hunting him down. Panicked stuff; Conte employing a very high pressing game.
9 min: It’s cagey, not a proper attack or goal attempt to speak of just yet.
Updated
7 min: Antonio Conte looks anxious on the bench, though has not yet reached the shouty stage that he usually reverts to.
5 min: Kessie, who is almost a foot taller than Sensi, stops his Inter opposite number in his tracks and he wins a free-kick in the process.
4 min: Ronaldo, the Brazilian version, is in the crowd, and sat not too far from Pierluigi Collina.
3 min: Godin, on the right of a back three, has to come across and stop Leao’s run. There’s a battle-heartened veteran for you.
1 min: Barella of Inter is found offside from a long ball. The Conte plan was always to hit the front as quickly as possible.
The captains, Handanovic and Romagnoli, shake hands and we are underway. Romelu Lukaku looks a little pensive as Inter take the kick-off.
Hopefully, it will be better than this game.
San Siro looks resplendent in the early-evening gloom, and there’s a light show decorating the skies as the teams take to the field, climbing those famous stairs into the open air. And the fans are doing their best to make it a special atmosphere. Twenty years ago, this was the biggest derby game on the planet but this is a story of two clubs trying to bounce back.
The teams in more analogue, less flashy form.
AC Milan: Donnarumma; Conti, Musacchio, Romagnoli, Rodriguez; Kessié, Biglia, Çalhanoğlu; Suso, Piątek, Leaõ
Inter: Handanovic ; Skriniar, de Vrij, Godín; D’Ambrosio, Barella, Brozović, Sensi, Asamoah; Lautaro, Lukaku
No better primer for the state of play in Serie A than Nicky Bandini’s column. She’ll be back on Monday for more.
Updated
And a reminder of the issue casting a cloud over the Serie A season so far.
Some red-hot Serie A writing here.
Here’s a roundup of today’s action on the continent.
Here are the teams.
OFFICIAL Milan XI vs. Inter pic.twitter.com/7B9OAwG0Kl
— Milan Eye (@MilanEye) September 21, 2019
📋 | LINE-UP
— Inter (@Inter_en) September 21, 2019
📣 Our side for #MilanInter
💪#DerbyMilano, we're ready!#FORZAINTER 👊⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/qNRBkO2Ymj
Preamble
It is early days but Inter’s repurposing of Premier League cast-offs seems to be working out just fine. OK, that’s harsh, since it was not too long ago that Antonio Conte was storming the Premier League with Chelsea. And in Italy, he is nothing close to being a reject; he is one of the country’s most prolific active managers along with Massimiliano Allegri. In Romelu Lukaku, he has his man, the striker he wanted to sign before the Belgian was redirected to Manchester United. And Inter are top of the league, knocking Juventus off the perch for the first time in 552 days. Lukaku’s impact on the field has been positive so far - the reaction to him on the terraces far less so - though he did struggle in the midweek 1-1 draw with Slavia Prague. Alexis Sanchez has been less productive, though a story in the Italian press suggests he backed up his old United buddy in a dressing-room fracas.
But now for the first big test of the season, and AC Milan, a rival on harder times and flushed with rather less talent. Both have become also-rans in the era of Juve dominance. Perhaps the way back starts here. Perhaps not>
Kick-off: 7.45 pm BST
