AC Milan Vs. Internazionale: Antonio Cassano Penalty Conversion Gives Milan 3-0 Win

That was much easier for AC Milan than it seemed as though it might be in the buildup to the Milan Derby, but once Alexandre Pato scored inside the first minute, there was no coming back for Inter Milan. Sure enough, Inter went down to ten men, Cristian Chivu being sent off with a straight red, and Milan scored twice more, with Pato grabbing another and substitute Antonio Cassano converting a last-minute penalty.

Just 45 seconds had passed when the Duck scored his first goal against Inter. Pato and Robinho combined brilliantly, with Robinho putting in the first shot. Júlio César rushed out to meet, but only knocked the ball as far as Pato, who cooly put it in the back of the net. 1-0 Milan and there was no looking back.

The rest of the first half may have been goalless, but it was not without controversy. Robinho went tumbling over in the area and appealed for a penalty, although it was evident that the Brazilian had merely tripped over a blade of grass. Sure enough, the referee showed the yellow card to Robinho, who could do nothing but pout in response. On the other end of the pitch, Thiago Motta appeared to have headed the ball across the line, although replays were inconclusive. No matter anyway, as Christian Abbiati smothered the ball against his chest, and no goal was given.

Barely five minutes into the second half, Rino Gattuso pulled up with a hamstring injury, with Matthieu Flamini coming on to take his place. No worries for Milan, though, as just four minutes later Cristian Chivu was sent off with a straight red. Pato had broke through on goal and Chivu chose to use his knee to block the Brazilian’s path, a silly decision with Chivu being the last man and all.

Milan’s free kick from the Chivu red card may have resulted in nothing, but Pato got his revenge anyway, bagging his second in the 62nd minute. Ignazio Abate put in a beautiful cross to Pato, who shook off his marker to head the ball into the back of the net. Milan seemed content enough with two goals, knowing that a ten-man Inter would almost certainly not threaten their three points.

Despite being content, the rossoneri weren’t about to turn down a chance at a free, extra goal. In the 90th minute, Inter captain Javier Zanetti fouled Antonio Cassano inside the area, and was quite frankly lucky to get off with just a yellow. It was Cassano himself who stepped up, easily converting the penalty. The Milan forward then foolishly stripped off his kit, earning a yellow that would become even more foolish when Cassano was shown a second yellow two minutes later after a bad foul. He’ll now miss the match against Fiorentina next week.

It’s not the time for Milan to be worrying about such matters, however. Three goals and three points against their bitter rivals, with Inter now five points adrift off the top of Serie A. Should Napoli win tomorrow against Lazio, that will put Inter back down into third. Is the scudetto race really over, now?