Leao crowns Milan in the Derby della Madonnina

Milan crowns himself King of Milan – at least for today. The Rossoneri defeated their city rivals 3-2 and currently occupy the top spot in the table. In particular, the spotlight was on Rafael Leao, who literally dizzyed the Inter defense on the left side. With 2 goals and an assist, the Portuguese became the match winner. New signing Charles de Ketelaere made his starting XI debut for Milan, while veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic watched from the stands due to injury.

The Derby della Madonnina, one of the most prestigious games in European club football. The full-backs Denzel Dumfires and Theo Hernandez in particular showed that Milan was not just playing well against Inter. The two came to blows in the 8th minute after a duel. What followed was a pack formation with heated discussions and yellow cards for the perpetrators. Over the course of 90 minutes, the referee had to intervene several times to prevent a football game from turning into a boxing match. The players from both sides of the Milan metropolis obviously can't stand each other.

Marzelo Brozovic opened the high-scoring game at San Siro. © APA/afp / ISABELLA BONOTTO

Milan started more energetically and controlled the game in the opening minutes. But Inter took the first trick. The otherwise secure Milan defense was completely thrown off course by Lautaro Martinez. The striker successfully shielded the ball from 2 defenders and sent midfielder Marcelo Brozovic into empty space. Alone in front of Mike Maignan, the Inter player had no problems and brought the San Siro to a boil with his 1-0. But the magician in black and red didn't answer. Rafael Leao got Milan back on track after Sandro Tonali won the ball. From the left side, the Portuguese flicked the ball past Samir Handanovic, who had no chance, and equalized to 1-1.

Everything was still possible in the second half. Milan continued to be the more enthusiastic team and were rewarded shortly after the restart. Once again, Rafael Leao was the focus. After a few passes on the left flank, the 23-year-old played the ball flat into the middle and found Olivier Giroud there. This shot into the bottom right corner to make it 2-1 and let the red half of Milan celebrate. Just minutes later, Rafael Leao completely pulled Inter's teeth. Theo Hernandez put the Portuguese in the spotlight beautifully with his heel. Leao once again showed his calm and creativity in front of goal and left three Inter defenders standing with a small feint. He fired an irresistible shot into the right corner to make it 3-1. Handanovic in the Inter goal, as with the other two goals, was not at fault.

But Inter didn't give up yet. Substitutes Matteo Darmian and Edin Dzeko combined to make it 3-2. Dzeko (67th) converted a low cross from the Italian and initiated a potential comeback. Inter had tasted blood and came dangerously close to equalizing several times in the last quarter of an hour. Mike Maignan saved Lautaro Martinez's header off the line and also deflected a cannonball from ex-Milan player Hakan Calhanoglu over the crossbar. It remained 3-2 and Rafael Leao and the rest of the Milan players were celebrated by the fans in red and black. This meant that Milan temporarily took the top spot in the table. Juve drops points Juve suffered another setback earlier in the day. The 1-1 draw against Fiorentina meant the third draw in 5 games. Although the old lady is still unbeaten in Serie A, Max Allegri will probably expect more from his players. Arkadiusz Milik (9th) got the Bianconeri on the right track early on, but Cristian Kouame (29th) equalized in the first half. The rest of the game showed a familiar picture: an unimaginative Juventus that lacks the necessary creativity in the opposing half of the game. The results Fiorentina – Juventus 1-1 Goals: 0:1 Milik (9th), 1:1 Kouame (29th)

Milan – Inter 3-2 Goals: 1:0 Brozovic (21st), 1:1 Leao (28th), 2:1 Giroud (54th), 3:1 Leao (60th), 3:2 Dzeko (67th)

Serie A Italy	SP	TV	P
1. Inter	33	79:18	86
2.Milan	33	64:39	69
3. Juventus	33	47:26	64
4.Bologna	33	48:26	62
5. Roma	32	57:38	55
6. Atalanta	32	59:37	54
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Leao crowns Milan in the Derby della Madonnina

Milan defeats Inter in an exciting city derby and storms to the top of the table. Rafael Leao was the protagonist of this Saturday evening.

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