Football: against Inter, Ibrahimovic offers the derby and the head of Serie A to AC Milan

Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates his second goal against Inter Milan.

October 17, 2020. REUTERS / Daniele Mascolo

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

AC Milan, carried by a starving Zlatan Ibrahimovic after his quarantine due to Covid-19, continued his flawless performance on Saturday by winning a superb derby against Inter (2-1), a first since January 2016 in Serie A.

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Two early goals for the Swedish star - his second double in two league appearances - gave the Rossoneri their fourth win in four matches.

AC Milan are now alone in the lead after the defeat earlier in the day of Atalanta Bergamo in Naples (4-1).

This first defeat of the season marks a halt for Antonio Conte's Inter, handicapped by numerous absences (six players tested positive for Covid-19 and Sensi suspended).

20 games unbeaten

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, back after missing the last two matches because of Covid-19, was hungry and it took him less than twenty minutes to put his mark on the match: he obtained a penalty converted into two stages (13th) before to take advantage of a loose marking of the nerrazzura rearguard to conclude a cross from Leao (16th).

He motioned to the few hundred domestic tifosi to shut up.

But they were soon to regain hope and voice when Romelu Lukaku reduced the score on a cross from Perisic (29th).

Inter will have the opportunities to come back, by Martinez (31st), Barella (32nd) then Lukaku (45th, 90 + 3rd), but Donnarumma held the shock.

In a second half with fewer chances and more yellow cards, the Interists thought they had obtained a penalty on a poorly controlled exit by the Milan goalkeeper on Lukaku, but ultimately refused after intervention by the VAR.

And AC Milan, which last February lost the last derby after leading 2-0, retained this victory to the end.

A success like no other for Stefano Pioli and his young generation of Kessié, Théo Hernandez, Bennacer and Leao, irresistible since the resumption of competitions in June (20 matches without defeat, all competitions combined).

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