In a pulsating Derby della Madonnina that lived up to its storied reputation, AC Milan and Inter Milan battled to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final at the San Siro on Wednesday night. Tammy Abraham's clinical finish shortly after the break was canceled out by a thunderous long-range strike from former Rossoneri midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu, leaving everything to play for in the return leg on April 23.
The 2024-25 season's fourth Milan derby began as a tactical affair with both sides showing respect for their cross-city rivals. Sérgio Conceição's Milan, set up in their familiar 4-2-3-1 formation, were without the fevered Yunus Musah but handed a start to young Alex Jiménez. Meanwhile, Simone Inzaghi's Serie A-leading Inter, missing captain Lautaro Martínez through injury, deployed Joaquin Correa alongside Marcus Thuram in attack.
The first half was largely even, with both teams creating opportunities without finding the breakthrough. Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan was called into action early, getting down well to deny Correa's powerful effort in the 9th minute. The Rossoneri responded when Theo Hernández fired over from the edge of the box after a Tijjani Reijnders pullback.
In a demonstration of his all-round contribution, Abraham showed his defensive value in the 21st minute, clearing Stefan de Vrij's effort off the line. Rafael Leão then had Milan's best chance of the half, but Inter keeper Josep Martínez made a crucial save with his foot to keep the Portuguese winger at bay. Just before the interval, Maignan produced a spectacular save to deny Davide Frattesi's goal-bound header.
The deadlock was finally broken just two minutes after the restart. Youssouf Fofana found Abraham on the edge of the box, and the English striker showed excellent technique to turn and fire a precise right-footed strike across Martínez into the far corner, sending the Rossoneri faithful into raptures.
Inter responded immediately, with Nicolò Barella testing Maignan, but the French goalkeeper was equal to the task. The Nerazzurri's pressure eventually told in the 67th minute when Çalhanoğlu, facing his former club, unleashed an unstoppable strike from outside the box that flew into the net, silencing the Milan end of the San Siro.
Both teams pushed for a winner in the closing stages. Leão nearly restored Milan's lead in the 86th minute with a curling effort that went narrowly wide, while Inter substitute Nicola Zalewski was denied by another outstanding Maignan save late on.
After the match, both coaches acknowledged the fairness of the result while expressing optimism for the return leg.
Milan's Sérgio Conceição told Sport Mediaset: "I think the result was fair, now we wait for the second leg and have this chance to go to the Final in Rome, which we all really want. The players understood what they were supposed to do, it was a balanced match against a difficult opponent where we had to be intelligent defensively, we did that, and I am happy with it."
The Portuguese tactician added: "In the second half against Napoli and again tonight, I saw a more solid team, the kind that I like to see."
Inter boss Simone Inzaghi praised his team's response to going behind: "It was a derby. We could have taken the lead in the first half with De Vrij and Frattesi. Then, in the second half, their goal incident probably helped us because we played much better after that. We created many chances against a strong team with great players. It's never easy to play against Milan – we knew that."
Inzaghi also highlighted his squad's resilience despite injury concerns: "Tonight, we only had 14 outfield players because Arnautovic and Dimarco were on the bench but unavailable. I had the Primavera players ready. I asked everyone to make an extra effort, and they were fantastic."
Despite the even scoreline, the match statistics revealed Inter's dominance in several key areas. The Nerazzurri controlled 62.3% of possession and outshot Milan 18-12 in total attempts, with 7 shots on target compared to Milan's 4.
Inter also held the edge in corner kicks (7-4), though Milan committed twice as many fouls (14-7). Both teams received two yellow cards, with Theo Hernández and Reijnders cautioned for Milan, while Acerbi and Bisseck went into the referee's book for Inter.
Maignan was the busier goalkeeper, making 7 crucial saves compared to Martínez's 3, underlining his importance to Milan's defensive resilience.
The 1-1 draw means everything will be decided in the return fixture at San Siro on April 23, with the winner advancing to face either Bologna or Empoli in the Coppa Italia final on May 14. Bologna hold a commanding 3-0 advantage from their first leg against Empoli.
For ninth-placed Milan, who sit five points off the European spots in Serie A, the Coppa Italia represents their best chance of qualifying for European competition next season. The winners automatically secure a place in the Europa League league phase.
Meanwhile, Serie A leaders Inter, who face Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals next week, remain on course for a potential treble – a feat they last achieved 15 years ago.
This was the fourth Milan derby of the season, with the Rossoneri yet to taste defeat against their city rivals. Milan won the first two encounters, including a dramatic comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in the Supercoppa Italiana, before drawing the last two 1-1.
As the dust settles on another enthralling chapter in one of football's greatest rivalries, both sets of fans will now eagerly await the second leg, where a place in the Coppa Italia f inal hangs in the balance.