Calhanoglu meets his penalty match as Maignan’s thoughts video games win Milan derby | Serie A

It had taken 73 minutes, and a VAR evaluate, however Inter lastly had their breakthrough within the Milan derby, the referee, Simone Sozza, pointing to the spot after he noticed replays of Strahinja Pavlovic treading on Marcus Thuram’s foot inside the realm. Now all that remained was for Hakan Calhanoglu to make the rating 1-1.

A formality. Since arriving in Serie A, the Turkey captain had been virtually automated in these conditions – scoring 27 out of 28 penalties taken for Inter and three out of three for Milan earlier than that. Entire newspaper columns and late-night TV broadcasts got over to analysing his infallibility, earlier than he lastly smacked one towards a put up in a draw at residence to Napoli final 12 months.

Even then, no goalkeeper had stopped him. By now they knew his favorite place to intention, the underside left from his perspective, and nonetheless that was not sufficient to maintain his photographs out. Calhanoglu struck the ball so cleanly into the corners that the majority couldn’t get there from the center of the objective. If they cheated throughout, he would change route.

On Sunday evening, Mike Maignan took a distinct strategy. Instead of positioning himself nearer to the place he anticipated Calhanoglu to shoot, he did the other, standing a very good step over to the other facet of the objective – his left, the Inter participant’s proper.

It felt like a dare. Maignan was telling Calhanoglu to take his favorite shot and even providing a head-start. ‘Better put it right in the corner, though, because we both know that’s the place it’s going, and I’m going to come back after it quick.’

Perhaps he was attempting to place the reminiscence of that miss towards Napoli into the Inter participant’s head. It had occurred proper right here, on the similar finish of San Siro – beneath the Curva Nord. Improbably, it even passed off within the equal minute of that recreation.

This time Calhanoglu stored his shot on the right track. Maignan, hurling himself down, received a robust hand to it and stored it out. For the primary time in eight years of home Italian soccer, Calhanoglu had met his match from the penalty spot. If any keeper was going to do it, it made sense that it needs to be Maignan on an evening like this, when he had already made a number of sensible saves.

In the Dazn TV studio, Italy’s biggest keeper, Gianluigi Buffon, purred. “I would have taken the same position Maignan did,” he stated. “But I don’t know if I would have been able to make the save.”

Inter ought to by no means have been behind within the first place. They had greater than twice as many makes an attempt on objective as Milan and of a greater high quality, too. There was a diving header by Thuram, clawed away by Maignan at full stretch. A leaping one from a nook by Francesco Acerbi that crashed off the woodwork. A volley by Lautaro Martínez the goalkeeper someway pushed on to the body. They assailed from all angles in a first-half flurry: again put up, entrance put up, proper in the course of that accursed penalty space. Maignan had all of them coated.

If there was a picture to sum up the expertise, it might need been Martínez, reacting to his shot being saved with a look again at Maignan and arms thrown out in a shrug of weary grievance. The look of a person who had simply had his paperwork rejected once more by some indefatigable bureaucrat, regardless of filling in each part as rigorously as he might. Back of the road, sir. You’ve had your flip.

Milan, in contrast, had been a mannequin of effectivity. They had barely sniffed Inter’s objective earlier than Youssouf Fofana gained a pair of challenges to launch them from midfield within the 54th minute, striding ahead and squaring the ball to Alexis Saelemaekers, who slipped as he fired throughout objective from the proper of the D. Yann Sommer pushed his shot away, however not far sufficient. Christian Pulisic swept the rebound into the web.

A smash and seize? Perhaps. But a gameplan devised and executed. This is how Massimiliano Allegri has set his groups up in large video games for a few years: compact, cautious, affected person. Sometimes an excessive amount of so – simply ask the Juventus followers who delighted within the supervisor’s departure on the finish of his most up-to-date stint. The Bianconeri had turn into a crushingly tedious watch. He did log out by profitable them a trophy.

After scoring, Milan shut up store, ravenous Inter of these capturing alternatives from the primary half. Pavlovic’s foul supplied them a manner again in. Maignan’s heroics blocked it.

When the full-time whistle went, sealing Milan’s 1-0 win, it hardly felt like an upset. Sure, Inter had held extra of the ball and created higher possibilities, however they do this in virtually each recreation. They additionally fail to win, repeatedly, towards their rivals.

Inter completed 18 factors forward of Milan final season but misplaced to them thrice and drew their different two video games within the league, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa. As a lot as Milan’s win did appear to be a basic Allegri efficiency, it was the continuation of a development that has now survived a mixed three managerial adjustments between the 2 golf equipment.

It was not all the time thus. From 2012 by means of to the tip of 2021, Inter dominated the derby – defeated 4 occasions and a type of in additional time. It is a curious twist this behavior needs to be misplaced in a chapter when there may be widespread settlement that they personal the strongest squad in Serie A.

For Inter, although, the problem isn’t just video games towards Milan. Losses within the so-called scontri diretti – head-to-heads towards golf equipment with equal stature and expectations – have turn into a troubling theme. IN final season and this, they’ve gained two out of 12 league video games, dropping six, towards Napoli, Juventus, Roma and Milan.

Christian Chivu owns 4 of these since changing Simone Inzaghi in the summertime. Still, he sought no excuses or claims to dangerous luck at full time. Asked if he might title any positives from this defeat, he replied that the busy calendar gave them an opportunity to get it out of their techniques towards Atlético Madrid in three days’ time.

The fear for Inter might be what impact an extra loss there might have on morale. The scramble for scapegoats has already begun, with Sommer drawing a lot criticism.

Inter might want to deal with the goalkeeper place at some stage. Sommer is 36 and whereas it stays unfair guilty him for all his staff’s failings his requirements have slipped over the previous two years. Then once more, the identical would possibly go for Milan.

Maignan’s contract will expire on the finish of this season. He, too, has been beneath his finest at occasions up to now couple of seasons – harm and managerial upheaval have performed their half – however this was one other reminder he may be among the finest on this planet.

Good sufficient even to assist Milan maintain a title problem? Both they and Inter stay very a lot within the working. With virtually a 3rd of the season gone, there are simply three factors between Roma in first and Bologna in fifth. Victory took Milan as much as second, Inter fell to fourth.

If the Nerazzurri slip up too typically within the large video games, the Rossoneri have dropped factors towards groups they’d be anticipated to beat. In the previous month they’ve drawn 2-2 with Pisa and Parma – the latter after that they had been 2-0 up at half-time. They additionally misplaced to promoted Cremonese on the opening weekend, although no one has crushed them since.

“It’s a process,” stated Allegri on Sunday. “We will continue to grow.”