Final score

19 April 2015 20:45

Inter
0 - 0
AC Milan
Referee: Luca Banti / Linesmen: De Luca, Vuoto / Fourth official: Preti / Assistants: Guida, Doveri
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Minute Text commentary
46' The half-time whistle blows and it's Inter 0-0 AC Milan at the break. The players head down the tunnel.
45' There'll be one minute of added time.
45' Play has stopped here in Milan while the Rossoneri medical staff attend to the stricken Poli.
42' Icardi nearly picks Diego Lopez's pocket with some great high pressing.
40' Abate plays in a cross, but Vidic is there to nip in ahead of Bonaventura.
38' Gnoukouri slides a ball through for Palacio, but Alex is there to intervene and get the visitors on their way.
35' Juan Jesus picks up a booking of his own after a foul on Suso.
35' Menez fizzes in a low cross from the right, drawing a diving save from Handanovic.
34' Kovacic embarks on a break, but he's brought down by De Jong. The Dutch midfielder gets a booking for his troubles.
33' Bonaventura swings a cross in, but Vidic slides in to quell the danger.
30' Alex bundles the ball home after Handanovic had palmed the free-kick away, but the ref had stopped play for an offside call on Menez.
29' Medel picks up a booking for a foul on Abate.
26' ...Hernanes takes it, but it whistles over the bar.
25' Medel connects with a volley from outside the area, which Antonelli blocks with his hand. It's a free-kick on 20 yards for Inter...
24' Palacio fires in a low cross, but Mexes sticks it behind for a corner.
24' D'Ambrosio crosses in from the right. Mexes is there again to head away.
20' Suso with another long-range strike. It's a tougher one for Handanovic, but the Inter goalie is able to punch it away.
18' Suso lets fly from outside of the area, but it's no trouble for Handanovic.
17' Great ball from Medel, who looks to match Hernanes' run. The AC Milan defence stands firm.
14' AC Milan manage to break. Menez scuttles down the left and swings a ball into the box, but Juan Jesus keeps calm to clear the danger.
13' Kovacic dribbles at Poli, cutting in from the left to crack a shot just over the bar.
11' Hernanes has a crack from distance! Diego Lopez has to be alert to deny the Brazilian's stinging effort.
10' Great link-up play between Gnoukouri and Hernanes! The Nerazzurri No. 27 finds Palacio in the box, but Alex clears.
8' Menez leads an AC Milan break but it's stopped by some imperious Juan Jesus defending, who makes a clean tackle to avert the danger.
7' Palacio with some great individual endeavour here, running 45 yards with the ball at his feet to earn Inter a corner.
5' Icardi sends a ball in behind for Palacio, but it's just too long for the Argentine No. 8.
2' Palacio plays in Hernanes, who bursts into the AC Milan box. Mexes is there to clear the danger.
1' And we're off! The derby is underway: Roberto Mancini's Nerazzurri side kick things off here at San Siro.
1' Big-match atmosphere is coursing around the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. Inter v Milan is just about to start. The teams are on the field!
Minute Text commentary
49' It's all over! The derby spoils are shared with the final score level at 0-0.
49' D'Ambrosio swings one in from the right, but it's easy for Diego Lopez.
48' Shaqiri looks to swing a cross in, but a deflection sends it straight into Diego Lopez's arms.
45' There'll be four minutes' added time here at San Siro.
45' Shaqiri finds Icardi, who controls expertly and gets the shot away: just wide!
44' Shaqiri lets fly from just outside the area, but his left-footed effort was always rising and whistles over the bar.
40' Destro has a crack from the edge of the area, but Handanovic makes the ball his.
39' Another booking here at San Siro, this time for Hernanes.
38' Bonaventura is brought down by D'Ambrosio, who also sees yellow.
38' Abate gets booked for a foul on Obi.
37' Inzaghi makes his third and final change, throwing on Cerci in place of Poli.
36' Lovely play from Hernanes to find D'Ambrosio, whose dipping shot almost takes the paintwork off the crossbar!
34' It's all Inter!! Palacio shoots into Diego Lopez's body from close range!
33' Double chance for Inter! First Ranocchia comes close to the telling touch, then Juan Jesus sees his bullet shot tipped just wide!
31' It's Shaqiri time! The Swiss maestro comes on for Kovacic.
29' Second change of the night for Inzaghi, who throws on Destro in place of Suso.
28' Inter have another goal chalked off! Mexes turns into his own net from Hernanes' cross, but Banti rules it out for a Palacio foul.
25' Inzaghi makes his first change of the night, bringin on Paletta for Alex.
24' Medel picks out Palacio, who centres for the onrushing Icardi. Diego Lopez gathers comfortably.
22' First change from Mancini here. Obi comes on for debut-man Gnoukouri.
19' Hernanes shoots for goal, but his effort comes off Antonelli's arm. The Nerazzurri players appeal for a penalty, but receive only a corner.
17' Palacio tees up Kovacic, whose shot whistles just past Diego Lopez's right-hand post.
14' D'Ambrosio fires in a low cross, but Bonaventura gets something on it to deflect behind for a corner-kick.
13' Great chance for Inter! Palacio jinks past Diego Lopez and shoots for goal, but Mexes saves on the line with his chest! So close to 1-0!
10' Hernanes again plays in Icardi, who in turn crosses in for Palacio. Maurito's ball is too high for his fellow Argentine.
9' Menez leads a rapid AC Milan break, but Vidic shuts it down.
5' Lovely stuff from Inter. Hernanes finds Icardi, who squares it for Palacio to sweep home, but Maurito was offside and it's disallowed.
2' Bonaventura tries his luck from outside of the area, but it's wayward.
1' We're back underway here in the derby! Neither manager has made any half-time changes.
Obi
5.83
5.83
Ranocchia
6.51
6.51
Jesus
5.54
5.54
Palacio
6.86
6.86
Handanovic
6.53
6.53
Kovacic
5.28
5.28
Icardi
6.08
6.08
D'Ambrosio
5.46
5.46
Hernanes
6.43
6.43
Vidic
6.74
6.74
Medel
6.52
6.52
Gnoukouri
6.8
6.8
Shaqiri
5.65
5.65
Average rating 6.17
3 shots on target 3
14 shots off target 4
16 fouls committed 10
9 corners 3
3 offsides 4
55% ball possession 45%
wins(39) draws(31) defeats(31)

MILAN – The stadium was packed to the rafters, the energy electric, the air thick with anticipation. Down on the pitch, eleven Nerazzurri lions were about to give their all for the ultimate prize: derby glory.

Inter set their stall out early on, with Palacio leaving Alex on his behind only for Mexes to clear the danger. The Argentine had worked two chances even before the clock ticked round to five minutes, this time drawing a sliding block from Alex.

It was a special night for young Assane Gnoukouri, who was making his first ever start for the club. His performance was full of eager energy and the youngster should be proud of his showing. On nine minutes, he exchanged passes with Palacio and threatened to shoot, but couldn’t quite work the necessary space.

The first real chance came on the 11-minute mark. Hernanes picked up the ball just outside the AC Milan box before unleashing a rasping shot which Diego Lopez had push round the post. Two minutes later and it was Kovacic’s turn to threaten, but his long-range effort whistled just over the crossbar.

Inter were dominating the early exchanges, with AC Milan happy to sit back and soak up the pressure. On 14 minutes, Menez led a Rossoneri break and fizzed a dangerous ball across Handanovic’s goal, but Juan Jesus kept a cool head to avert the danger. It seemed to hearten Milan, who had two chances in quick succession through Suso. Both times, Handanovic’s fists ensured the match stayed goalless.

On the half-hour mark, the Rossoneri had a goal chalked off due to offside on Mexes. It was a pulsating encounter, worthy of the history of the derby, with Inter rising to the occasion admirably. By the time the half-time whistle blew, Inter had a 90% pass-completion rate and were dominating the match.

The second half heralded a Nerazzurri onslaught. On 50 minutes, Palacio had a goal chalked off after Icardi was caught offside. Nine minutes later, D’Ambrosio burst down the flank, causing Bonaventura all kinds of problems. Inter’s foot was jammed hard on the gas and a goal seemed only a matter of time.

The big talking point came in the 64th minute. Hernanes shot for goal inside the area, only for his effort to come off Antonelli’s hand. No dice, said the referee, much to San Siro’s chagrin. The Nerazzurri continued to push, sensing blood, and had another goal disallowed after Palacio was adjudged to have committed a foul in the build-up. 

Fate seemed to be conspiring against Inter, who had another wonderful chance on 77 minutes: the ball fell to Palacio yards from goal, but his shot was somehow kept out by the grateful Diego Lopez. D’Ambrosio and Icardi threatened late on, but it wasn’t to be. Inter kept fighting until the last, cheered on by a deafening San Siro crowd, but the final whistle arrived soon after. 

INTER 0-0 MILAN

INTER: 1 Handanovic; 33 D'Ambrosio, 23 Ranocchia, 15 Vidic, 5 Juan Jesus; 27 Gnoukouri (Obi 67), 18 Medel, 10 Kovacic; 88 Hernanes; 8 Palacio (Shaqiri 76), 9 Icardi.
Subs not used: 30 Carrizo, 6 Andreolli, 11 Podolski, 21 Santon, 26 Felipe, 28 Puscas, 55 Nagatomo, 93 Dimarco, 96 Palazzi, 97 Bonazzoli.
Coach: Roberto Mancini.
 
AC MILAN: 23 Diego Lopez; 20 Abate, 33 Alex (Paletta 70), 5 Mexes, 31 Antonelli; 16 Poli (Cerci 82), 34 De Jong, 21 Van Ginkel; 8 Suso (Destro 74); 7 Menez, 28 Bonaventura.
Subs not used: 32 Abbiati, 99 Donnarumma, 2 De Sciglio, 10 Honda, 11 Pazzini, 13 Rami, 17 Zapata, 25 Bonera, 36 Mastalli.
Coach: Filippo Inzaghi.
 
Booked: Medel 29, Juan Jesus 34, De Jong 35, Abate 83, D'Ambrosio 83, Hernanes 84
Added time: 1 + 4 mins.
 
Referee: Banti.
Assistants: De Luca, Vuoto.
Fourth official: Preti.
Additional assistants: Guida, Doveri.

starting lineups

Handanovic 1 23 Diego Lopez
D'Ambrosio 33 20 Abate
Ranocchia 23 33 Alex
Vidic 15 5 Mexes
Jesus 5 31 Antonelli
Gnoukouri 27 16 Poli
Medel 18 34 De Jong
Kovacic 10 21 Van Ginkel
Hernanes 88 8 Suso
Palacio 8 28 Bonaventura
Icardi 9 7 Menez

substitutes

Carrizo 30 32 Abbiati
Andreolli 6 99 Donnarumma
Podolski 11 2 De Sciglio
Obi 20 9 Destro
Santon 21 10 Honda
Felipe 26 11 Pazzini
Puscas 28 13 Rami
Nagatomo 55 17 Zapata
Shaqiri 91 22 Cerci
Dimarco 93 25 Bonera
Palazzi 96 29 Paletta
Bonazzoli 97 36 Mastalli