The scuffle between

Romelu Lukaku

and

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

muddied the Milan derby, resolved with a direct free-kick from

Christian Eriksen

in the last minute of injury time, which qualified Inter for the semi-finals of the Italian Cup (2-1).

Not even the goals of the Belgian and the Swede, two of the best strikers in Europe, drew the spotlight with more intensity than their tremendous altercation, where both elucidated old feuds from their days in the Premier League.

It all happened just before the break, when

Alessio Romagnoli

stopped Lukaku with an ugly free kick that triggered the immediate reaction of the striker.

Not even the mediation of the referee,

Paolo Valeri

, could cool the spirits between Ibrahimovic and Lukaku, two giants who collided head-on before being booked with a yellow card.

The exchanges of insults, with the former Everton player totally out of his mind, continued on their way to the locker room.

According to reconstructions in the Italian press, after reviewing the images, Zlatan blurted out in English defiantly: "Go back to your voodoo nonsense, little donkey."

Catholic faith

These words can be interpreted as a reference to Lukaku's Congolese origins or as a reminder of an episode dating back to his years in the Premier League.

And it is that in January 2018, an Everton leader said that the '9' had not wanted to extend his contract with the 'tofees' due to a voodoo message.

A claim vehemently denied by the person concerned, who had coincided with Ibrahimovic at Manchester United the previous season.

Lukaku then let the BBC know that his decision had nothing to do with such beliefs and that he had always professed the Catholic faith.

"There is no place for racism"

Ibrahimovic, who would end up sent off in the 58th minute for a double yellow card, published a message hours later to ensure that "in the world of Zlatan there is no place for racism. We are all the same race. We are all the same. We are all players. Some better than others, "he wrote on Twitter.

For their part,

Stefano Pioli

and

Antonio Conte

, the Milan and Inter technicians, minimized the events, ensuring they had not heard the insults and included the confrontation within the tension linked to the famous Derby della Madonnina.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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