Inter Milan 0-1 A.C. Milan: Ibrahimovic, Milan Defense Wins Milan Derby

In a game characterized by oddball decisions by Rafael Benitez, heated exchanges, and great defending by the “visitors,” A.C. Milan have come out on top 1-0 over their rivals Inter Milan to take the first Milan Derby of the season and go top of Serie A.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the winner early, in only the 5th minute. Marco Materazzi clumsily took him down in the box as the culminating act of a Milan counter-attack, and the referee’s decision of whether or not to point to the spot was an easy one. Ibrahimovic stepped up, sent the keeper the wrong way, and finished the penalty kick to permanently put his side up 1-0.

While they had short spells where they looked okay, Inter Milan were never really in the match for a variety of reasons. Rafael Benitez’s initial team selections and subsequent substitutions appeared to handicap his team, but there was little he could do about Materazzi’s silly foul or Milan’s brilliant defense.

The central defense pairing of Thiago Silva and Alessandro Nesta has been the backbone of the Milan team in multiple games this season and this match was no different. Diego Milito and Samuel Eto’o were rendered completely irrelevant by the pair while they were at least able to make Goran Pandev’s attacking skills irrelevant.

Pandev was partially relevant, though, although the reasons for that had nothing to do with any faults on the part of Silva or Nesta. He was the player who provoked Milan’s Ignazio Abate into an altercation that caused him to see a second yellow card, bringing Milan down to ten men in the 60th minute. The sending off would make the match slightly more interesting, but Inter still had no answer for the Milan defense.

Despite playing 30 minutes against ten men, Inter registered a total of two shots on target throughout the match with true clear cut scoring opportunities. It was a performance that will leave Rafa Benitez shaking his head and Massimiliano Allegri satisfied.