In an epic showdown at the iconic San Siro, Inter Milan and AC Milan battled to a nail-biting 1-1 draw in the Italian Cup semi-final. The derby delivered plenty of action, leaving fans on the edge of their seats! ⚽️
Just one minute after halftime, Tammy Abraham fired home a brilliant opener — his ninth goal of the season — after a quick turn and a drilled finish that punished some slack marking from Inter defender Yann Bisseck.
However, Turkey captain Hakan Calhanoglu answered with a low, curling shot in the 67th minute that slipped past Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, cancelling Abraham's early strike and keeping the tie balanced for the second leg. Calhanoglu summed up the match by saying, "It was an even game. Milan had a few chances and so did we, but in the second half we played a bit better. It was important to not lose today because we still have the other match to play."
Inter, the Italian champions and current Serie A leaders chasing a treble ahead of their Champions League quarter-final with Bayern Munich, will now look to build on this result. On the other hand, the Milan side — led by Sergio Conceicao and sitting ninth in Italy's top flight, 20 points behind Inter and nine off the Champions League spots — faced added pressure following their recent defeat at Napoli. Conceicao commented, "It was a good game against a difficult opponent. We had to play well defensively and that's what we did, so I'm happy. I'm happy with the approach to the match and we have to keep it up."
With both sides showing determination and flair, the winner of this tie is set to face Bologna in next month's final in Rome, after Vincenzo Italiano's team delivered a comfortable 3-0 win over Empoli. The stage is set for even more thrilling football ahead! 🔥
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
