AC Milan team history today: 2006 Serie A Milan derby, the iron guard volleyed down the younger brother Inter Milan (April 14)
On April 14, 2006, the 34th round of the 2005-2006 Serie A season staged the 263rd Milan derby, AC Milan sat at the San Siro "home", facing the younger brother Inter Milan in the same city, in order to prepare for the Champions League semi-finals with Barcelona, AC Milan advanced the Milan derby to Friday, which is the traditional Easter in the West.
AC Milan, who were second in the Serie A standings before the game, were two points above Inter Milan and would have relinquished the runners-up position if they lost this game.
Despite the Champions League clashes, Milan's derby record was not to be overlooked, with Carlo Ancelotti playing the main force with captain Maldini at left-back, Nesta and Kaladze in central defence, and Gilardino and Sheva up front. Roberto Mancini's roster was unexpected, with Adriano coming forward alone, a heavy midfielder, Zanetti and Cambiasso playing in double midfield, and Pizarro continuing to replace Veron in charge of the attacking organization. At the back, Mihajlovic and Cordoba were in the middle, with Cesar replacing the main goalkeeper Toldo, who had been injured in training.
Take a look at the star-studded rosters of players who started and came off the bench for both teams.
AC Milan (4-3-1-2): 1-Dida, 2-Cafu (73rd minute, 5-Costacuta), 13-Nesta, 4-Kaladze, 3-Maldini, 8-Gattuso, 21-Pirlo (79th minute, 14-Volger), 20-Seedorf, 22-Kaka, 7-Shevchenko (82nd minute, 10-Rui Costa), 11-Gilardino.
Inter Milan (4-5-1): 12-Cesar, 4-Zanetti, 2-Córdoba, 11-Mihajlovic (Materazzi 10), 3-Burdisso, 7-Figo, 8-Pizarro (Solari 83), 19-Cambiasso, 6-Zanetti (Martins 76), 5-Stankovic, 10-Adriano.
Fan fighting has always been a sight to behold in the Milan derby, and during this game, Inter Milan fans collectively withdrew from the north stand to protest the club's inaction for more than a decade, while AC Milan fans hung a long banner in the south stand, satirizing Inter Milan for being insulated from the championship for a long time.
The game was fierce from the start, Stankovic injured his left thigh after colliding with the veteran Cafu, and in the fourth minute, Stankovic brought Cafu down from behind when he grabbed the ball, and Milan started the game with a slight advantage.
In the 10th minute, there was a substitution, and Mihajlovic, who had previously coached AC Milan, was injured and could not hold on, and Materazzi came on as a substitute. The two teams began to attack and defend each other, Milan shot more on goal, Gilardino was twice pushed down in the opposition box, but referee DeSantis did not award a penalty, and there was an uproar in the stands, and the two teams ended the first half with a dull draw.
At the start of the second half, both teams had a number of good chances to score, but both unfortunately missed them. In the 70th minute, Materazzi, who had strained his thigh and insisted on in the defense, lost his position and caused the goal to be lost, after Pirlo's free kick on the right side was pushed out, Nesta got the ball on the periphery and distributed it to the left side, Seedorf volleyed the penalty area with his right foot, Materazzi tripped Gilardino when he turned and moved and fell to the ground, and the unpressed Karadze stopped the ball on his chest at the back point and volleyed a left-footed volley into the near corner 8 meters in front of the goal, Córdoba flew to block it was too late, AC Milan led Inter Milan 1-0! The Milan defenders scored two league goals that season, and that winning goal was crucial.
From the slow mirror, at the moment of Seedorf's pass, Gilardino and his companion who ran back on the other side were in an offside position, but Kaladze was not offside.
In the 73rd minute, the veteran Costa Curta, who is about to celebrate his 40th birthday, replaced Cafu, in the 79th minute, Volger replaced Pirlo, and in the 82nd minute, Rui Costa replaced Sheva.
Mancini replaced Zanetti with Martins, who later played in the Chinese Super League, in the 76th minute, and replaced Pizarro with Solari in the 83rd minute, resuming the double striker to strengthen the attack.
In the final 20 minutes, Inter Milan had a number of chances on goal, but in vain in Milan's unanimous defence, Gilardino and Seedorf received yellow cards in succession, and Milan finally kept the score 1-0 until the end of the game.