Inter vs. Milan result and highlights: Olivier Giroud nets twice in dramatic comeback win

Simon Borg

•
Inter vs. Milan result and highlights: Olivier Giroud nets twice in dramatic comeback win image

The Serie A title race is on after AC Milan came from behind with two goals from forward Olivier Giroud to beat the current leaders Inter Milan in an intense derby match.

With 14 matches left to play in the Serie A season, Inter Milan (1st, 53 points) saw its four-point lead shrink to just one, although it still has a game in hand. The defeat, only the second loss of the season for Inter, brought an end to Inter Milan's long 14-match undefeated streak and it gives hope to both AC Milan (2nd, 52 points) and Napoli (3rd, 49 points) in their chase of the title.

Inter looked on its way to a comfortable win after Ivan Perisic struck a first-half volley on a corner kick to put his team ahead. As Inter controlled the second half, Nerazzurri manager Simone Inzaghi substituted several of his best players with 20 minutes remaining and it felt like Inter entered into cruise control. Milan's Giroud had other ideas.

MORE: Which teams have qualified to the FIFA World Cup?

The Frenchman, who was starting in the absence of the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic, applied a sliding touch for a 75th-minute equalizer and then expertly finished with a deft move and a shot on goal just three minutes later, turning defender Milan Skriniar like a top. AC Milan would hold onto the lead for the dramatic, come-from-behind victory, the first derby comeback for AC Milan since 2004, halting Inter's 28-match home unbeaten stretch.

AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan had a major role to play to keep the scoreline close during a dominant first half by Inter. He made a handful of incredible reflex stops to keep Inter off the board and the Nerazzurri also had a first-half goal taken off the board for a clear offside position by Perisic.

Right wingback Denzel Dumfries was one of the best players for Inter Milan and throughout the match he got under the skin of AC Milan left back Theo Hernandez, who lashed out in the end with a kick from behind in the final minute of the match to receive a straight red card. But it did not cost AC Milan, which held on for the win.

Both clubs will be back in action in midweek in the Italian Cup quarterfinals. Inter Milan hosts AS Roma on Tuesday and AC Milan welcome Lazio the next day in a dual Milan vs. Rome showdown.

Inter vs. Milan final score

  1H 2H Final
Inter Milan 1 0 1
AC Milan 0 2 2

Goals:
INT - Ivan Perisic (Hakan Calhanoglu) - 38th min.
MIL - Olivier Giroud - 75th min.
MIL - Olivier Giroud (Davide Calabria) - 78th min.

(All times Eastern)

Final: Inter Milan 1, AC Milan 2

95th min.: Red card for Theo Hernandez who kicks Denzel Dumfries from behind with the ball long gone. But the final whistle comes moments later.

81st min.: SUBS — Both teams with subs for the final stretch. Matias Vecino and Matteo Darmian are on for Marcelo Brozovic and Alessandro Bastoni, respectively.

78th min.: And it's a second for Milan! Giroud gets the ball in the box with his back to goal and turns and scores. Goalkeeper Samir Handanovic probably could have done better on that one. AC Milan has turned this around.

75th min.: GOAL Milan! So much for Inter having this locked up. Olivier Giroud wins the ball in midfield and the transition for AC Milan reaches Brahim Diaz, whose shot is deflected to the left post and a sliding Giroud puts it home.

73rd min.: SUB — It really feels like Inter and its fans think they have the match won. Arturo Vidal comes on for Hakan Calhanoglu.

70th min.: SUBS — Alexis Sanchez and Federico Dimarco come in for Lautaro Martinez and Ivan Perisic. Inter is comfortably in the lead — comfortable enough to take off two of its top players.

58th min.: Inter's Hakan Calhanoglu tries to score a goal off the corner kick, but it doesn't come off.

58th min.: SUB — Franck Kessie didn't have it today and he's replaced by Brahim Diaz, who's not been in form in recent weeks. This would be a great time for him to turn it around.

56th min.: Inter is happy to cede possession to AC Milan, waiting for the Rossoneri to make a mistake and hit them on the counter. AC Milan is taking risks, but it will be put to the test.

46th min.: Second half is underway and AC Milan brings on Junior Messias for Alexis Saelemaekers on the right side. The Belgian contributed little in that first half.

Halftime: Inter Milan 1, AC Milan 0

47th+ min.: Mike Maignan comes up big again. Inter counters on the heels of an AC Milan corner and the 'keeper comes off his line to stop Calhanoglu outside the box and then he recovered to stop a shot on goal seconds later.

38th min.: Goal Inter! Ivan Perisic puts away a Calhanoglu corner to put the Nerazzurri up. He was wide open as the ball reached him on the far post and his volley finds a way through. That corner came after yet another save by Maignan on a Lautaro Martinez shot. It's a deserved lead.

35th min.: Back-to-back chances for AC Milan and Inter's Samir Handanovic comes up with the save on both occasions. Best chance of the game for the Rossoneri. Sandro Tonali first had the shot from distance, and then Rafael Leao follows it up. They need Leao to be more active.

28th min.: Another shot on goal for Inter! Denzel Dumfries runs onto a deflected through ball in the box and he fires it right at Maignan from point-blank range. Dumfries has been excellent so far. In that instance he went central to be dangerous.

26th min.: Chance for Inter! Great combination play in the box, Lautaro Martinez lays it off to Nicolo Barella who fires at goal but his drive goes wide of the left post with the goalkeeper beat. Inter Milan looks most likely to get the first goal.

21st min.: YELLOW — First card of the match to AC Milan center back and captain Alessio Romagnoli for a tackle from behind on Edin Dzeko in midfield. An aggressive play, but unnecessary in that spot of the field. And now Romagnoli has to play 70 minutes carrying a yellow.

18th min.: The battle between Theo Hernandez and Denzel Dumfries is fascinating. Hernandez is resorting to some physical play and a bit of embellishment in an attempt to contend with Dumfries. The Dutchman is causing problems for AC Milan.

12th min.: What a save by Milan's Mike Maignan! A shot by Marcelo Brozovic is deflected and Maignan has to switch directions and stuck out a hand to stop the ball from going in. Still scoreless, but good action so far.

10th min.: Inter scores, but it's ruled offside. Ivan Perisic whipped in the cross for Denzel Dumfries, who headed home, but Perisic was clearly offside on the through ball down the left.

4th min.: Equally positive start by AC Milan with Sandro Tonali attacking space and a Davide Calabria cross earning a corner. But Inter 'keeper Samir Handanovic neturalizes the set piece. A lot of energy from both sides to start, as expected.

1st min.: We're off and Inter Milan starts off on the front foot.

11:57 a.m.: A look at the tifo from Rossoneri side of the stadium.

11:25 a.m.: Olivier Giroud gets the start for AC Milan in place of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

11:10 a.m.: It's worth noting that the San Siro has a new grass field that was installed just in time for the derby match:

11:05 a.m.: The sights and sounds inside the stadium:

10:50 a.m.: You can sense the level of anticipation for the game just from the team arrivals:

9 a.m.: Who wins the battle of the hype video between these two teams?:

Inter vs. Milan lineups

Joaquin Correa is the most prominent injury absence along with newcomer Robin Gosens. The other big new signing, Felipe Caicedo, is sitting this one out and is not on the bench. Inter manager Inzaghi fields his first-choice lineup with Denzel Dumfries preferred over Matteo Darmian on the right wing.

Inter Milan lineup (3-5-2, left to right): 1-Samir Handanovic (GK) — 95-Alessandro Bastoni, 6-Stefan de Vrij, 37-Milan Skriniar — 14-Ivan Perisic, 20-Hakan Calhanoglu, 77-Marcelo Brozovic, 23-Nicolo Barella, 2-Denzel Dumfries — 9-Edin Dzeko, 10-Lautaro Martinez

Inter Milan subs (12): 21-Alex Cordaz (GK), 97-Ionut Andrei Radu (GK), 36-Matteo Darmian, 33-Danilo D'Ambrosio, 11-Aleksandar Kolarov, 13-Andrea Ranocchia, 5-Roberto Gagliardini, 8-Matias Vecino, 32-Federico Dimarco, 22-Arturo Vidal, 7-Alexis Sanchez, 41-Dennis Curatolo

No Zlatan Ibrahimovic for AC Milan (Achilles injury), but the stats say that the team performs better without him. Milan manager Stefano Pioli would perhaps contend otherwise. The injury absences of center backs Simon Kjaer and Fikayo Tomori (on the bench) also weigh heavily on a team that can blame its defensive struggles on its drop in the standings. That injury list also includes winger Ante Rebic.

AC Milan lineup (4-2-3-1, left to right): 16-Mike Maignan (GK) — 19-Theo Hernandez, 13-Alessio Romagnoli, 20-Pierre Kalulu, 2-Davide Calabria — 4-Ismael Bennacer, 8-Sandro Tonali — 17-Rafael Leao, 79-Franck Kessie, 56-Alexis Saelemaekers — 9-Olivier Giroud

AC Milan subs (12): 1-Ciprian Tatarusanu (GK), 83-Antonio Mirante (GK), 25-Alessandro Florenzi, 46-Matteo Gabbia, 33-Rade Krunic, 23-Fikayo Tomori, 7-Samuel Castillejo, 41-Tiemoue Bakayoko, 10-Brahim Diaz, 30-Junior Messias, 22-Marko Lazetic, 27-Daniel Maldini

How to watch Inter vs. Milan

  • Date: Saturday, Feb. 5
  • Time: Noon ET
  • TV channel: CBS Sports Network
  • Streaming: Paramount+

Saturday's Milan derby between Inter and AC Milan from the San Siro (50 percent capacity) will be broadcast exclusively on CBS Sports Network and can be streamed on Paramount+ in the United States.

MORE: Who can still qualify for the World Cup?

The match will be preceded by a one-hour pregame show, "Calcio & Cappuccino," live from Milan on both Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network.

Inter vs. Milan betting odds, pick & prediction

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings)

AC Milan's form dipped before the break, with a shocking loss to Spezia and a drab draw with Juventus, and the Rossoneri can blame a number of key injuries at the back. A lack of transfer activity in January has not helped, and combined with the recent loss of Ibrahimovic, this club seems far from being able to compete for the title.

Inter, meanwhile, is in blistering form. The Serie A leaders are on a 14-match unbeaten run, which includes an eight-match win streak. They have conceded just two league goals since late November, a stretch of 810 minutes, but the attack is just as strong.

Inter leads the league in xG differential at +30.66, including the league's best xG mark at 51.32, 10 more than anyone else. The Nerazzurri are firing on all cylinders in every area of the pitch, and they got stronger during the winter window.

Add all that up with a dominant run of form in this series, as Inter has lost just one of the last nine between these clubs in all competitions, and there is only one expected result here.

Pick: Inter 2, AC Milan 0

Prediction: Inter to win to zero (+175)

  • Moneyline: Inter -115 / Draw +265 / AC Milan +330
  • Spread: Inter -0.5 (-115) / AC Milan +0.5 (+100)
  • O/U 2.5 total goals: Over -125 / Under +100
  • Both teams to score: Yes -150 / No +115

Simon Borg

Simon Borg Photo

Simon Borg is a senior editor at The Sporting News who has covered football/soccer for over a decade. A supporter of Italian club Parma Calcio from his years growing up in Europe, he was previously a long-time member of Major League Soccer's digital media team, as a multimedia content producer, on-air personality, and Editor-in-Chief. Based in New York City, Borg is multilingual and has covered the domestic and global scene for TSN since 2021.