Derby - The Spectacle

For once, let’s start with a personal opinion. Of course, we’d love to hear yours in the comments. But if we had to choose the greatest derby of all time, there would be no hesitation. The quality of the two teams, the players on the pitch, the spectacle, the emotion, and the thrilling finale. Exactly 20 years ago, it was AC Milan vs. Inter that took place. It ended three-four.

28 October 2006. AC Milan were determined to show that their cycle was far from over. Inter, meanwhile, were intent on proving once and for all that the balance of power in the city had shifted. For once, it’s worth listing all 22 players who started the game.

AC MILAN (4-3-2-1): Dida; Cafu, Nesta, Kaladze, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini; Seedorf, Kakà; Inzaghi. Substitutes: Maldini, Oliveira, Gilardino. Coach: Ancelotti, of course.

INTER (4-3-1-2): Julio Cesar; Maicon, Cordoba, Materazzi, Grosso; Vieira, Dacourt, Zanetti; Stankovic; Ibrahimovic, Crespo. Substitutes: Figo, Burdisso, Samuel. Coach: Mancini, equally unsurprisingly.

Not a bad line-up.

Inter made a flying start, led by a possessed man: Dejan Stankovic. In the 17th minute, he delivered a free-kick from the attacking third and picked out former AC Milan player Hernan Crespo perfectly. The Argentine headed past Dida to make it 0-1.

Five minutes later, Stankovic received the ball from Maicon just outside the penalty area. He controlled it with his left foot, then fired a right-footed shot into the top corner. 0-2. In the celebrations, he grabbed Roberto Mancini on the touchline and nearly pulled him to the ground.

The second half began, but the pattern remained the same. Stankovic won possession and combined with Ibrahimovic before playing the ball to him on the edge of the box. What the Swede did next was almost supernatural. He spotted Nesta, no ordinary defender, sliding desperately towards him. With a delicate chip, he made the ball disappear, as if it had sunk beneath the surface of the Meazza, only to reappear magically, perfectly placed for a first-time volley struck with the full instep. A clean, emphatic finish. 0-3.

A deflected Seedorf shot shortly afterwards gave AC Milan a lifeline, but 20 minutes later the seemingly unstoppable Marco Materazzi looked to slam that window shut. The defender rose to head home beneath the Curva Nord and make it 1-4. Materazzi made a mistake, perhaps the first of his evening. As he celebrated, he pulled his shirt over his face to reveal a message for his son’s birthday: “Auguri, Davide.” Referee Farina showed no leniency. A second yellow card, and Materazzi was off. The scoreline could have become even more emphatic, but now everything changed. At this level, playing with ten men makes a huge difference. Inter reshaped their team, while AC Milan stepped up the pace. And there was no shortage of quality in the Rossoneri ranks. Cafu crossed, Gilardino headed home: 2-4. Then, with the ball loose inside the box, Kakà produced a stunning lob over Julio Cesar. The Inter goalkeeper had just pulled off two consecutive miracles to deny Cafu and Kakà, but this time there was nothing he could do against the AC Milan man’s perfectly judged finish. Cordoba’s acrobatic attempt to clear the ball off the line was in vain. 3-4, with the entire stoppage time still to play. Inter were now down to nine men. Vieira was injured and could barely run, remaining on the pitch simply to make up the numbers, while Inter had already used all their substitutions. At this level, two men down was too much.

AC Milan came close to equalising, but incredibly Ricardo Oliveira failed to direct a relatively straightforward header towards the corner. The Rossoneri launched one final assault, with the entire penalty area packed with players. Maicon managed to turn the ball behind for a corner, then sprinted 90 metres at full speed towards the opposite end of the pitch. He hadn’t lost his mind. Farina had simply blown the final whistle on one of the most spectacular derbies of all time. Inter would go on to dominate the league, finishing with 97 points, the second-highest total in Serie A history. AC Milan, meanwhile, would lift the Champions League at the end of the season. On the pitch, the two teams had served up 90 minutes of football that the 80,000 fortunate enough to be there would never forget.