The Derby della Madonnina is one of the most heated games of the season, but this time even more. AC Milan and Inter face each other for the UEFA Champions League's semifinals for the first time in twenty years, after that in 2003 the Rossoneri knocked out the Nerazzurri after two draws (0-0 and 1-1) thanks to the away goal rule.
Twenty years later, the two sides from Milan meet again to have the chance to play the final in Istanbul against the winner of the other semifinal between Real Madrid and Manchester City. Now, let's take a look in the recent past years and we rank the top ten most heated derbies of the last thirty years between AC Milan and Inter.
10. February 21, 2004: AC Milan 3, Inter 2
One of the most incredible comebacks in the history of the Derby della Madonnina. AC Milan were coming from winning the Champions League semifinals the season before against the Nerazzurri and that year were about to win the Scudetto. Inter went 2-0 up in the first half with the goals scored by Dejan Stankovic (directly from a corner kick) and Cristiano Zanetti. However, AC Milan overturned the result in the second half and scored three goals with Jon Dahl Tomasson, Kaka and the deciding goal of former Inter midfielder Clarence Seedorf.
9. March 3, 1998: Inter 3, AC Milan 0
This game became iconic for the second goal of the game scored by Ronaldo, but not only. The Nerazzurri won 3-0 thanks to the brace scored by Diego Simeone and Ronaldo's volley and continued to dream the first Scudetto's win under Massimo Moratti's presidency. However, Juventus managed to win that season the title after winning key game against Inter but the Nerazzurri won the UEFA Cup after beating Lazio in the final.
8. October 28, 2006: Inter 4, AC Milan 3
It's not easy to see seven goals scored in the Derby della Madonnina, as it often is a tense game. However, in 2006 it happened. That was the first Milan derby after the Calciopoli scandal that deeply affected Italian soccer. With Juventus playing in the second division, Inter became the number one candidate to dominate the league after signing both Patrick Vieira and Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Juventus. Inter went up by three goals scored by Hernan Crespo, Dejan Stankovic and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, before AC Milan scored the first goal with Seedorf. Marco Materazzi scored his first goal in the derby later, but also received the second yellow card after celebrating and was sent off. With the advantage, the Rossoneri scored two goals with Alberto Gilardino and Kaka but failed to equalize and the game ended 4-3. One of the most fun Milan derbies in the history.
7. February 5, 2022: Inter 1, AC Milan 2
The most recent game in this list, the Derby that decided to 2021-22 season. In fact, Simone Inzaghi's Inter arrived to this game with a 4-point advantage and had the chance to close the Scudetto's topic and scored the opening goal with Ivan Perisic. It seemed that everything was going in the right direction for the Nerazzurri until Olivier Giroud's brace completely changed the result in four minutes. That was the key moment of the season. With the win, the Rossoneri closed the gap to only one point and started to really chase their first Scudetto in eleven years.
6. April 2, 2011: AC Milan 3, Inter 0
Talking about key matches for the Scudetto, this one was another iconic game. The season after Inter won the treble under Jose Mourinho, AC Milan won the title under coach Massimiliano Allegri. Nerazzurri's owner Massimo Moratti decided to sack Rafa Benitez after winning the 2010 Club World Cup and appointed former AC Milan coach Leonardo to replace him. The Brazilian manager started well and Inter made a comeback in the league, until the Derby. Pato's brace and Antonio Cassano's penalty gave the Rossoneri a huge win that consolidated their position and the side later won the Scudetto.
5. May 11, 2001: AC Milan 6, Inter 0
In terms of scores, the most iconic Milan derby. Even though both AC Milan and Inter had a difficult season and were not fighting to win the title, the Rossoneri dominated the Derby della Madonnina and scored six goals against the city rivals, making it one of the most remembered derbies of the recent history. Gianni Comandini's brace opened the score, before Giunti, Serginho and another brace of Andriy Shevchenko concluded the game.
4. March 21, 2007: Inter 2, AC Milan 1
If the one played in 1998 was the derby remembered as the game of Ronaldo, well, this one even more. The Brazilian striker joined AC Milan in the winter of 2007 and it created one of the most heated reactions from the Inter fans. Ronaldo was considered a symbol for the Nerazzurri, as he won the Balon d'Or in 1997 and in 2002 when he played there, before joining Real Madrid. Inter fans loved Ronaldo as they did with few others in their history and felt betrayed when he joined AC Milan in 2007. The home fans brought thousands of whistles to the first derby he played, where he also scored the opening goal of the game. However, Inter managed to score twice in the second half with Julio Cruz and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and overturned the result.
3. Champions League quarterfinals 2004-05: Inter forfeit
Two seasons after the 2002-03 semifinals, Inter and AC Milan met again for the second time in the history of the Champions League. The Rossoneri won 2-0 the first leg with the goals scored by Stam and Shevchenko, who also scored the opening goal of the second leg. However, the game was abandoned after 72 minutes due to flares thrown onto the pitch by Inter fans after a goal disallowed to the Nerazzurri, one of which struck Milan goalkeeper Dida. UEFA awarded Milan a 3–0 win and also ordered Inter to play their next four European games behind closed doors. Carlo Ancelotti's team qualified for the final that year, but then lost to Liverpool in one of the most incredible comebacks in the history of the competition. And, of course, this match led to one of the most iconic images of all time.
2. August 28, 2009: AC Milan 0, Inter 4
Jose Mourinho's second season at Inter started off with one of the most unexpected results in the history of the derbies. The Portuguese coach decided to start with the new signing Wesley Sneijder, who just arrived in Milan the day before, who immediately showed the potential and had a great impact in the 4-0 win. The Nerazzurri opened the score with the goals scored by Thiago Motta, Diego Milito and Maicon. Midfielder Dejan Stankovic scored the last goal of the game, one of the most iconic ones of the recent years. Inter's season ended with the team coached by Mourinho winning the treble: the Serie A title, the Coppa Italian and most importantly the first Champions League in 45 years.
1 - Champions League semifinals 2002-03: AC Milan advance
No other derby could go in place. The 2002-03 Champions League semifinals are by far the most heated and remembered games of the rivalry between these two clubs. "It was a short week. Wednesday to Tuesday, we had six days of total tension," former AC Milan player and current director Paolo Maldini said. AC Milan went through with two draws (0-0 and 1-1) thanks to the away goals rule and the deciding goal scored by Andriy Shevchenko, something that this year can't be repeated as away goals no longer exist. Inter had some key injuries, as Christian Vieri was injured and couldn't play both legs, while AC Milan's coach Carlo Ancelotti desperately needed to win the semifinals to save his job. Later, AC Milan won the competitions after beating Juventus at penalties in the Manchester final.
