Estupinan Strike Seals Derby Win As Milan Edge Inter

AC Milan secured bragging rights in the Derby della Madonnina with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Inter at the San Siro on Sunday night, completing a Serie A double over their city rivals for the first time since the 2010/11 season.

The decisive moment arrived in the 35th minute when Pervis Estupinan fired Milan ahead with a superb finish, capping a dramatic sequence of play that turned the momentum of the match in less than a minute.

Inter had looked the more threatening side moments earlier and were inches away from taking the lead when Henrikh Mkhitaryan broke through on goal. With Milan’s defence scrambling, the Armenian midfielder attempted a close-range chip, but Mike Maignan produced an instinctive save with his chest to deny what seemed a certain goal.

Milan immediately turned defence into attack and punished their rivals. Youssouf Fofana combined neatly with Rafael Leao before spreading the ball wide to Estupinan on the left. The wing-back surged forward and unleashed a powerful left-footed strike that flew into the top corner, giving Yann Sommer no chance and sending the home supporters into celebration.

The goal injected life into what had initially been a cagey contest between the two Serie A heavyweights. Inter enjoyed slightly more possession and tried to dictate the tempo, but Milan remained organised and disciplined at the back.

Christian Pulisic almost doubled the Rossoneri’s advantage shortly after the opener when he danced past defenders inside the penalty area before squaring for Alexis Saelemaekers, whose effort from the penalty spot sailed over the crossbar.

After the break, Inter increased the pressure as they searched for an equaliser. Federico Dimarco and Nicolo Barella combined effectively down the flanks, creating several dangerous moments around the Milan box.

Inter’s best opportunity of the second half fell to Dimarco just after the hour mark. Following a clever move that ended with a cut-back pass to the penalty spot, the wing-back somehow scooped his first-time effort over the crossbar from close range, leaving the travelling fans stunned.

Substitute Denzel Dumfries also came close when he met a cross inside the box, but his effort was blocked, while another promising chance saw Ange-Yoan Bonny head over the bar after a teasing delivery from the right.

Despite Inter’s dominance in chances, Milan held firm with a resilient defensive display led by Maignan and the back line of Fikayo Tomori, Koni De Winter and Strahinja Pavlovic.

The closing minutes brought late drama when Inter thought they had finally equalised from a corner. Dimarco’s delivery caused chaos in the Milan penalty area, and the ball eventually crossed the line. However, referee Daniele Doveri had already blown his whistle during the build-up, ruling out the goal and leaving the Nerazzurri furious.

From there, Milan managed the remaining stoppage time professionally to secure a crucial derby victory.

The win keeps Milan’s hopes alive heading into the final stretch of the Serie A season while boosting their push for a Champions League place next term. It also extends their impressive recent record against Inter, having now gone unbeaten in six consecutive derby matches across all competitions.

For Inter, the defeat ends a long unbeaten run in the league stretching back to November 2025. Despite the setback, they remain firmly in control at the top of the table and will look to respond quickly when they face Atalanta in their next fixture.

Meanwhile, Milan will aim to build on the momentum from this derby triumph when they travel to face Lazio next weekend.