Coppa Italia, Inter in the final: 3-0 to Milan with Lautaro (2) and Gosens

In the fourth derby of the season, Inter took a straight and final victory in the Italian Cup against a Milan who, even in the first half hour of the second half, put an opponent who appeared superior overall in great difficulty. They decide a great brace from Lautaro in the first half and the icing of Gosens in the final. The Nerazzurri celebrated in front of 74,508 spectators (for a record collection of 4,156,710 euros for the Italian Cup), but Milan showed a lot of pride for most of the second half. And without the cancellation of Bennacer’s goal for the potential 1-2, who knows what final we would have seen. How much this 3-0 will have a psychological impact on the championship sprint, only time will tell. Certainly Milan will have to find compactness behind – they had not conceded a goal in 7 games, a series that began right in the derby on March 1 -, while after the success at Juve, Inter has returned to grind football at the end of 2021.

First half

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Surprisingly, Inzaghi prefers Darmian to Dumfries and keeps Dzeko on the bench in favor of the Argentine couple formed by Correa (third consecutive as starter) and Lautaro. At the center of the defense is De Vrij, with Skriniar on the right on Leao’s slopes. Pioli responds with the newly found Calabria and chooses the more defensive Saelemaekers and not Messias to complete the trident behind Giroud with Kessie and Leao. In the median, Tonali (absent in the first leg due to disqualification) and Bennacer. Not even the time to record the various duels that Lautaro, good at detaching himself from Tomori, tears up the game like a canvas by Fontana with a great right-footed shot on Darmian’s cross. A goal all instinct, in pure Taurus style. We are just at 3 ‘and extra time greet the scene. Milan, who have not conceded a goal in a lifetime (Udinese, on February 25) feel the pinch, find it difficult to read the entries of the midfielders and take risks on a couple of other occasions. Kessie suffocates Brozovic as expected, but Pioli loses a man between the lines. Tonali-Barella and Bennacer-Calhanoglu are the couples in the middle of the field. In the first quarter of an hour Inter is a river in flood, and when the Rossoneri try to raise the center of gravity Brozo is good at skipping the first pressing, less at finding the hole for Barella. Lautaro, more than Correa, attacks every AC Milan outing and Bennacer never manages to set up. Theo sleeps for half the time, Leao lights up only in the 28th minute, but Handonovic is careful on his post. It is the signal that Milan have also entered the game, with Saelemaekers (Handanovic still good) and Tonali (right-footed right) who are close to equalizing. An already hot derby ignites in the 35th minute when Mariani warns Theo, who however seemed to have the advantage, for an intervention on Correa. Milanisti – Pioli in the head – furious, Inter falls for it and for a few minutes the teams split, lose measures and clarity. Theo almost takes advantage of it, who on Handanovic’s exit opens the door to Kessie, miraculously reassembled by Perisic on the line. We are in the 39th minute, it is the best moment of the guests, but for the first time in the saga of seasonal challenges it is Inter who land the shot without having the inertia. Brozo opens for Correa, very good at catching Lautaro who snaps on the edge of the offside and jokes Maignan out with a shot under the winger like a champion.

Second half

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Pioli keeps Tonali and Saelemaekers in the locker room for Messias and Diaz, with Kessie, who had tickled Brozo, lowered in the median. Milan now have more imagination on the trocar but less filter in the middle. So at 7 ‘the Raging Bull flies to the right and Maignan has to put his big hands on it. Diaz, however, struggles as rarely in recent months, Inter lowers – for the double advantage but also because they are back from a time above the pace – and Milan camps in the opposing half of the pitch, even if in the last 20 meters they hit a wall, with three shots in the area blocked within two minutes. Lautaro wastes on the counterattack, Diaz at 19 ‘gets a free kick from the edge. Lautaro saves on Giroud, on the corner the ball is deflected out of the area by Tomori and, as always in this second half, a Milan player arrives first on the ball, with Bennacer unloading a big left into the goal between many Nerazzurri legs. It would be the goal that deservedly reopens the games, but after consulting the video Mariani cancels for Kalulu’s offside. Having escaped the danger, Inzaghi took away Correa and Lautaro for Sanchez and Dzeko in the 70th minute. Pioli responds with Gabbia and Krunic for Calabria and Bennacer himself, with Kalulu climbing on the right. Calha also comes out for Vidal. After an hour of solitude, Giroud is also sought out and in the 75th minute (just the minute killer of the February derby) a precious diagonal of Bastoni is needed to avoid trouble for him. The blue, however, accuses of cramps, then the last slot with D’Ambrosio and Gosens (out of Perisic). Between fresh forces and Milan’s physiological decline, Brozo manages to better manage the situation and Inter takes the field again. After the goal at La Spezia, Epic also found time in the 82nd minute for the insertion and the assist to the kiss for Gosens that definitely blows up the San Siro. Milan folded, but the endless derby continues in the league.