Milan wins the Derby della Madonnina again, narrowly beating Inter thanks to Estupiñán’s decisive goal. The Rossoneri secure their third straight derby victory and close the distance to seven points behind the Nerazzurri league leaders.
Milan captures the Derby della Madonnina and extends their impressive run against Inter. The Rossoneri earned a tight win, recording their third consecutive derby triumph and their fifth in the previous seven meetings between the rivals. This success allows Massimiliano Allegri’s squad to move within seven points of league leaders Inter, prolonging the Nerazzurri’s frustrating derby drought.
It was not the thrilling derby many supporters had expected. The contest was mostly a stalemate, with limited clear chances, but just like in the earlier meeting, Milan managed to grab a slim victory. The decisive moment came from Pervis Estupiñán, giving the Rossoneri three vital points.
The opening minutes were immediately energetic for Milan. After only three minutes, the Rossoneri produced their first significant opportunity: Sommer lost the ball in a risky area, and Pulisic reacted quickly, intercepting and setting up Modric, who from the edge of the area narrowly missed the post with a curling effort.
Inter answered only after the half-hour mark with their strongest chance of the night. Mkhitaryan drove forward from midfield, broke into the box, and found himself face-to-face with Maignan, but the Rossoneri goalkeeper produced a crucial save, preventing the Nerazzurri from taking the lead.
Milan’s reaction was instant. Just a minute later, the winning goal arrived: Fofana delivered an excellent through pass for Estupiñán, who cut inside from the left edge of the box and fired a powerful left-footed strike that flew into the top corner. Shortly afterward, the Rossoneri came painfully close to doubling their advantage, with Pulisic gliding past two defenders and setting up Saelemaekers in the center of the area, but his attempt flew over the crossbar.
In the second half, Milan once again began brighter. Pulisic launched a counterattack and supplied Leão, whose angled shot drifted wide of the target. Chivu’s team had their clearest opportunity in the 54th minute, when Milan lost possession in a very dangerous zone: Dimarco found himself in a perfect position, but his shot rolled wide.
Absences also affected the Nerazzurri heavily. Without Lautaro Martínez, sidelined through injury, and Marcus Thuram, missing with a fever, the attacking pair of Bonny and Pio Esposito never truly managed to create serious danger.
The final score confirms the Nerazzurri’s derby troubles: Inter hasn’t won a city derby in two years and has now gone seven straight derbies without success. Milan, meanwhile, repeated their first-leg result, collected another three valuable points, and reduced the gap in the table, keeping alive hopes of reigniting the title race.
