AC Milan 0-3 Inter Milan: Match Recap

Inter might not have much of a cake this season, but at least there’s some icing and a cherry on top to go with whatever the 2022/23 campaign turns out to be. The Nerazzurri won its second straight Supercoppa with a dominant 3-0 thrashing of Milan, making this a particularly sweet trophy to add to the cabinet. An early goal from Federico Dimarco set the tone and Inter never looked back, putting two more past Milan via Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez before all was said and done in Riyadh.

Starting XIs

Simone Inzaghi made just a sole change from the 1-0 win against Verona over the weekend, with the fully received Nicolo Barella replacing Roberto Gagliardini in midfield. Stefano Pioli’s Milan, meanwhile, changed things up a bit more after a draw at Lecce, bringing Kjaer, Tonali, and Messias into the squad.

Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

First Half

The action got off to a red-hot start out of the gates. Inter opened the scoring ten minutes in when Federico Dimarco tapped in a Nicolo Barella cross at the back post.

Milan’s only response to conceding early was a few dangerous moments from Rafael Leao that never coalesced into anything of substance. It was Inter that struck next, and it took until just the 21st minute for the good guys to double their lead via Edin Dzeko.

Inter continued to run Milan ragged for a few more minutes and came closest to adding a third when Dimarco let loose on a long-range effort that Tatarusanu managed to paw away. The Nerazzurri then decided to sit on its lead as halftime approached, allowing Milan to control 63% of the ball at the interval. The Rossoneri didn’t create much of anything, however, tallying just one shot on target from five attempts compared to Inter’s 9 total shots, 4 of which found Milan’s goal.

Second Half

Milan came out of the break with a purpose, while Inter seemed content to lock up defensively. The Rossoneri continued building pressure but neither team could find any breakthroughs. Both coaches started ringing the changes around the hour mark, but it proved to be a moot point when Lautaro put the game to bed in the 77th minute.

The final stages of the game were a bit of a dead rubber, though they did feature Milan’s best chance of the half - a Rebic cross that inadvertently ended up bouncing off the crossbar. That was the story of the Rossoneri’s night - despite holding 66% of possession it managed just 14 shots, 3 on target, compared to Inter’s 12 efforts (6 on frame). It was a deserved victory and scoreline for the Nerazzurri, who proved themselves to be far superior to their city rivals on the day and got a trophy lift as a reward.

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Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images

Player Ratings

Onana - 7.5: A great showing from the Cameroonian. Didn’t have a huge workload but was up to the task whenever Milan came close.

Bastoni - 7: Bastoni put in a well-rounded shift, with 6 clearances, 4 accurate long balls, and 1 big chance created.

Acerbi - 7: Continues to be an unsung hero at the back. Won 4 duels, made 2 clearances, 2 interceptions, and 2 tackles. Also notched just 17 touches, which has to be a team-low this season for starters.

Skriniar - 7: Rock solid from the captain. He made 2 clearances, 1 blocked shot, 2 interceptions, and assisted Lautaro’s strike.

Dimarco - 7.5: Ever since he officially moved to the wingback role from center back backup, Dimarco has been on another level. That was no different today, where he tallied the game winner, and made 2 clearances, 2 interceptions, and 3 long balls.

Mkhitaryan - 6.5: Mkhitaryan’s veteran experience came in handy in a final and he put in a no frills performance in the center of the park, with 2 interceptions and 6 duels won.

Calhanoglu - 7: Filled in for Brozovic admirably yet again. Wasn’t as active on the ball as usual thanks to Inter’s more defensive posture but remained a key cog in the midfield against his old team.

Photo by Mattia Pistoia - Inter/Inter via Getty Images

Barella - 7.5: Made his full return from injury at the perfect time and was better than ever. He notched 2 key passes, including the assist on the opener, won 4 duels, made 2 tackles, and was a general nuisance to the Milan midfield all evening.

Darmian - 7: Continues to shine even at 33 years of age. Helped create the opener with a line-splitting pass to Dzeko, and put in a shift defensively to shut down Leao, winning 7 duels and making 2 clearances.

Lautaro - 8: His red-hot form against Milan continues. Seems to score in just about every derby and now has added two trophies to his resume in the last month.

Dzeko - 8 (Man of the Match): A stellar outing from start to finish. Helped set up the opener and then got a goal of his own with an excellent finish.

Inzaghi - 8: His fourth Supercoppa final and his fourth Supercoppa victory. Went with what’s become Inter’s best XI in a statement of intent and for good reason. Even his subs were on point (seeing Gagliardini come on didn’t fill me with confidence but I was happy to be proved wrong).

Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Inter is next in action Monday evening at home against Empoli. In the meantime, who knows when the next piece of silverware will end up decked in black and blue, so let’s enjoy a trophy.

Forza Inter!