Milan Derby Decided by an American’s Precise Touch

The Milan Derby once again lived up to its reputation for tension and intensity. Throughout the match, Inter Milan controlled possession and came close to scoring on multiple occasions — first when Francesco Acerbi struck the woodwork, and later when Lautaro Martínez rattled the frame of the goal.
But the turning point arrived in the 54th minute. American striker Christian Pulisic delivered a perfectly timed finish to give AC Milan the lead. The drama continued when goalkeeper Mike Maignan produced a crucial save on a penalty awarded for a foul against Hakan Çalhanoğlu, preserving Milan’s narrow advantage until the final whistle.
This hard-fought victory allowed AC Milan to leapfrog Inter Milan in the Serie A standings and move within just two points of league leaders AS Roma. Inter, meanwhile, slipped to fourth place.
2025-26, Italy - Serie A
Inter - AC Milan 0:1 (0:0)
Goals: Pulisic, 54 (0:1)
Inter: Sommer; Acerbi (Diouf A., 85); Akanji; Carlos Augusto; Dimarco; Bastoni; Sucic P.; Çalhanoğlu (Zielinski P., 78); Barella (Pio Esposito, 85); Thuram M.; Martínez L. (Bonny, 66)
Substitution: Bonny (from 66); Zielinski P. (from 78); Diouf A. (from 85); Pio Esposito (from 85)
Bench: Martínez J-p; Calligaris; de Vrij; Bisseck; Cocchi; Alexiou; Frattesi; Luis Henrique T.L.
Yellow Cards: Çalhanoğlu 61
AC Milan: Maignan; Tomori; Pavlović S.; Bartesaghi; Fofana Y. (Ricci S., 78); Rabiot; Modric; Gabbia; Saelemaekers; Pulisic (Nkunku, 78); Rafael Leão (Loftus-Cheek, 86)
Substitution: Ricci S. (from 78); Nkunku (from 78); Loftus-Cheek (from 86)
Bench: Terracciano; Estupiñán; De Winter K.; Odogu; Jashari A.
Yellow Cards: Rafael Leão 45; Pavlović S. 73
