The Derby della Madonnina between AC Milan and arch-rivals Inter Milan is one of the most fiercely contested match-ups in world football.
Every meeting is a cauldron of edgy tempers, enthusiastic tackles, and a mean-spiritedness that cannot be found in any other fixture, which is why AC Milan vs Inter Milan tickets are often sold at a premium although Seatsnet.com offer the best prices on the market.
Read on as we take a trip down memory lane to relive some of the best Milan derbies in recent memory.
The Milan derby of shame
If you have seen that image of pantomime villain Marco Materazzi standing and leaning on the ever-elegant Rui Costa with the game paused due to Inter fans dousing the air in an inferno with their fireworks, then you got a piece of what was one of the most unforgettable derbies.
Stefano Rellandini’s iconic picture captures friendship. However, that word is never present when these two Italian giants meet, especially with a place in the UEFA Champions League semi-final at stake.
Milan won the first leg at “home” thanks to set-piece goals from Andriy Shevchenko and Jaap Stam. The Nerazzurri were desperate for a response from their team, and Shevchenko further stoked the fire with a headbutt on Materazzi that somehow the referee missed.
The Ukrainian Ballon d’Or winner went on to score again, rubbing salt in the already scalding wound. To make matters worse, Esteban Cambiasso had a goal disallowed, sending the Inter ultras into a fit of rage.
Inter had watched their team cower out of the Serie A title race and were infuriated seeing them crash out of Europe without a fight. Fans launched flares onto the pitch, and one famously struck Milan goalkeeper Dida.
The game did not continue, and Milan were awarded a 3-0 victory (5-0 on aggregate). Fun fact: both sides committed a whopping 32 (!) fouls before the game was called off.
Jose Mourinho’s treble winners maul Milan
Between 2005 and 2010, Inter Milan dominated proceedings in Serie A, with rivals AC Milan failing to land a single Scudetto following the win in 2004. Juventus and Milan had been decimated by the Calciopoli Scandal, leaving Inter to run riot with AS Roma playing second fiddle.
The 2009/10 season was particularly sad for Milan as they got to witness the Nerazzurri lift an unprecedented treble. Inter won the Serie A title for the fifth time in a row and gave their rivals a spanking to remember.
Inter were 2-0 up after just 35 minutes, with Thiago Motta netting a rare goal and Diego Milito bagging from the spot. Things went from bad to worse for Milan as midfield destroyer Gennaro Gattuso received his marching orders moments later.
Inter made the advantage count as iconic right-back Maicon added a third before the first-half whistle. Dejan Stankovic completed the rout with a thunderous shot from distance, leaving the goalkeeper no chance.
Inter won Serie A on the final day ahead of Roma and the Rossoneri. They also triumphed over Bayern Munich in that year’s Champions League final before Mourinho left for Real Madrid, bringing the curtain down on a period of Nerazzurri dominance.
Inter mount an unbelievable second-half comeback
In 2020, Inter Milan produced a remarkable fightback to thump Milan 4-2 and claim the top spot in the Serie A log, much to the frustration of Stefano Pioli, who was constantly outwitted in the derby match-ups.
Milan ransacked Inter and dominated the first-half. They took a deserved lead through big-game merchant Ante Rebic before the iconic Zlatan Ibrahimovic helped himself to a goal just before half-time, stroking his brittle ego with a typically larger-than-life celebration against his former club.
Antonio Conte’s side needed a response in the second 45 and it did not take long to come as Marcelo Brozovic speared a volley into the back of the net to pull Inter back into the tie from out of nothing.
Matias Vecino levelled the scores for Inter moments later, and the Milan capitulation was in full flow.
Lukaku was tormenting Alessio Romagnoli, a sight that became a constant across their many match-ups, and the Belgian laced an effort just wide of the mark, but it didn’t matter as Stefan De Vrij scored a brilliant set-piece header on 70.
Ibrahimovic could have been the hero that forced a 3-3 draw. However, his header crashed off the post, and Lukaku made Milan pay, rising highest to head home Inter’s fourth, sparking animosity with his opposite number.
Ibrahimovic brace spearheads Milan to victory
Milan and Inter faced off early in the 2020/21 campaign, and Ibrahimovic left his stamp on the game with a brace and world-class all-round performance.
The Swede rolled back the years, using clean footwork to win a penalty off a loose Aleksandar Kolarov tackle in the 13th minute. He stepped up to take it, and penalty specialist Samir Handanovic saved the initial effort but could do nothing about the follow-up as it ended up in the back of his net.
Three minutes later, Milan had a 2-0 advantage. Rafael Leao left Danilo D’Ambrosio for dead out wide before raking a superb cross that Ibrahimovic finished calmly.
Inter responded on 29 through Lukaku, who had evaded Romagnoli to score at the back post to make it 2-1. The former Chelsea and Everton centre-forward had a free header minutes later but failed to convert.
Achraf Hakimi then missed the target from point-blank range. Inter piled the pressure, and Lukaku thought he won his side a penalty in the second-half but was adjudged offside. Minutes later, he fended off Romagnoli twice in seconds but could only stab the ball wide.
The Milan captain was dealing with the leanest and meanest version of Lukaku, who backed into him once more before improvising an effort that Gianluigi Donnarumma saved as the Rossoneri edged the tie.
Unfortunately for Milan, the win was not enough to stop their rivals from adding another Scudetto to their trophy cabinet later in the season.
Inter Milan trounce their rivals on the way to the Scudetto
The Lukaku-Ibrahimovic rivalry took centre stage in a heated Coppa Italia quarter-final clash, with the pair going at each other, sparking a melee that took several players and staff to separate.
Inter won the Cup game with Ibrahimovic sent off, and the battle spilt into social media with the Rossoneri swearing revenge on their rivals.
However, Antonio Conte masterminded a 3-0 win over Milan. Billed as the biggest derby match in a decade, the two teams went to war, but the Nerazzurri were too much for their rivals.
Inter tore Milan apart from limb to limb, with Lukaku traditionally ragdolling Romagnoli. The Belgian shut the loud-mouthed Ibrahimovic with a man-of-the-match performance.
Lukaku set up Lautaro Martinez for the opener after just five minutes. Handanovic made several saves to keep his side in the game before the Nerazzurri put their foot to Milan’s necks in the second-half.
Martinez scored again before Lukaku took on the entire Milan defence and arrowed a hit beyond Donnarumma.
Lukaku gestured to his Swedish counterpart that there was a new sheriff in town. Inter went on to win the league thanks to Lukaku’s 24 goals and 11 assists in 36 appearances.
