Inter Milan salvaged a dramatic 1-1 draw in the Milan derby on Sunday, with Stefan de Vrij scoring a last-minute equaliser to spare the Serie A champions from an unlikely defeat. De Vrij capitalised on a header from Nicola Zalewski in the third minute of added time, ensuring the points were shared after AC Milan had looked set to claim all three. Milan’s lead had come from Tijjani Reijnders, whose goal just before half-time appeared destined to secure victory for the Rossoneri.
The draw for Inter means league leaders Napoli have the opportunity to extend their lead over Roma to five points, should they win their late match against the capital club. Inter will have a chance to make up ground on Napoli as well, as their away fixture against Fiorentina, which was interrupted in December due to an on-pitch collapse of Fiorentina’s Edoardo Bove, will be completed on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Milan remain in eighth place, trailing Juventus by five points, with the Bianconeri having secured a 4-1 victory over Empoli earlier in the day. Despite Milan holding on for a point, the match was largely dominated by Inter, and their manager Simone Inzaghi expressed frustration at the team’s inability to secure all three points. “I can only applaud my team for their performance, but unfortunately, they weren’t able to get that little bit of luck,” Inzaghi said. He also voiced his displeasure with the referee’s decision not to award a penalty for a second-half foul on Marcus Thuram, a call that he believes should have been flagged by the VAR officials.
Reijnders had given Milan the lead with his 11th goal of the season, following a swift counter-attack. Inter were left frustrated as they had three goals disallowed, and both Yann Bisseck, Thuram, and Denzel Dumfries all hit the woodwork in the second half. Yet, it was De Vrij who ensured the final whistle would not signal defeat for Inter, striking in the dying seconds to silence the San Siro, which was predominantly filled with Milan supporters but lacked some of its usual energy due to a police ban on fan displays ahead of the match.
Reflecting on the match, Reijnders admitted that Milan could have handled the game better. “I don’t think we played very well in possession. We needed to stay calm on the ball, as there were opportunities to control the game. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to do that tonight,” he said.
