Inter, dream derby: Milan win five and lead alone

Up there where the Madonna is: oh my beautiful one Inter, ti de dominet Milan. With the accent on the second vowel but not only, judging by the score. It ends 5-1 for theInter, which is convincing in the starting eleven and with the substitutes, for a five consecutive victories that had never been seen in the history of the Derby and which had never all been held in the same calendar year.

The epilogue to a match for which Inzaghi and Pioli hadn't played the illusion beforehand, boasting of solutions that never materialized. On September 16th, also the day of David Copperfield, the game was played without surprises: Kjaer came on for Kalulu for the Rossoneri, and the Inter midfield was missing at the start of the match, the latest hero of San Siro, Davide Frattesi, who just four days earlier had given Italy points with a brace against Ukraine.

On both sides, the game is played with muscles and Semitic accents, with Calhanoglu and Krunic acting as playmakers, Mkhitaryan and Reijnders trying to break away from the start.

Inter capitalized on the initial downhill run and the momentum from San Siro to collect corners and set up their opponents. Theo attempted to provide the first boost in the 20th minute with a central run, then on the half-hour mark, the same Frenchman slotted a free kick to Leao, but Sommer saved. Milan gathered courage, and a minute later, Theo himself slipped between three and found himself one-on-one with the Inter goalkeeper, but was unable to find a pass in front of goal.

It seems that a new chapter could begin, in reality the match picks up the thread of the story: Lautaro makes Dumrifies run in open field, the ball at the far post is collected by Thuram, who controls without Thiaw being able to challenge him: a stone into the top corner and 2-0 in the 39th minute. In the deluge of the second half, the first blow is from Leao: Giroud is alone and passes it into space for the Portuguese, who forces Sommer to collect the ball from the net for the first time this season.

The revolving door of substitutions opens, bringing fresh energy to a pitch that's becoming heavier. Carlos Augusto's right-footed strike sends Maignan through, but it's Mkhitaryan who closes it down: Lautaro collects a long ball and waits for the Armenian to arrive, who slots home at the near post to make it 3-1. The lights come on at San Siro, those of the fans' cell phones pointing the way to Calhanoglu: he's there, a former player, to score from the penalty spot after Theo's foot extends to Lautaro's. In the closing moments, Frattesi, assisted by Mkhitaryan, gives Inter the crowning glory and helps rewrite history: Inter have never before had five consecutive victories, and the algebra of 5 highlights numbers that don't require algorithms to process in their clarity.