Inter 2-2 Milan: Five Things We Learned as Zapata Rescues Rossoneri

Zapata scored in the 97th minute to rescue Milan from defeat against bitter rivals, Inter. Image: Getty

It was another thriller at the San Siro for the Derby della Madonnina, with two late goals from Milan to equalize. Here are five things we learned from the encounter.

5. Hold Your Composure

This is the second time that one of these two teams have blown a lead in the last minute of the game. Perhaps it’s the pressure of the rivalry. Perhaps it’s the will and drive to succeed, to beat their rivals. Who knows? Instead of both teams having three points, they now have two points a piece. Both coaches need to have a little sit-down with their players, and make sure that these sort of collapses don’t happen again. This isn’t an insult to the opposing team; in fact, you have to give credit to Perisic and Zapata for getting those two goals in the final minute.

4. It’s Gonna Be Tight for Europe

Both teams want to qualify for the Europa League, and they sit sixth and seventh in the league. The race is tight, with Lazio only three points ahead of Milan, albeit with one more game to play, in fourth place. It’s gonna come down to the wire, and the players will have to put everything out there on the pitch if they wish to compete in Europe once again and reclaim some of their historical fame.

3. Nobody’s Perfect

It was another pretty poor performance from Donnarumma. While he didn’t have the worst game ever, his previous miracles overshadow the good, meaning that we expect way more from him. The two goals he conceded were not his fault, but he could have certainly saved them, as we have seen in the past. Is that mistake against Pescara haunting him? Let’s hope not.

2. Don’t Doubt Defenders

Defenders can’t score? Tell that to Romagnoli and Zapata. In the 83rd minute, Romagnoli slotted the ball into the net off a Suso cross. It was a lovely finish, the Italian timing his strike perfectly and putting it past Handanovic. But that wasn’t the highlight of the match. In the 97th minute, on the last kick of the game, Zapata executed an acrobatic finish to save Milan from defeat, a finish that needed goal-line technology to be affirmed. What’s more dramatic than that?

1. Lightning Can Strike Twice

Who says lightning can’t strike twice? Well, it did, sort of. In a story much similar to the first time these two teams played, the scoreline ended 2-2 with a last-gasp goal. While it’s Milan this time who achieved the comeback, it makes for a funny story. It was another thrilling matchup that lasted right up until the final kick, and you could see the rivalry unfold itself on the pitch.

Inter XI: Handanovic 6.5; D’Ambrosio 5.5, Medel 6, Miranda 5.5, Nagatomo 6; Gagliardini 5.5, Kondogbia 6.5; Candreva 6.5 (Biabiany 90+, N/A), Joao Mario 6.5 (Murillo 80′, N/A), Perisic 7 (Eder 68′, 5.5); Icardi 7

Unused Subs: Carrizo, Santon, Sainsbury, Andreoli, Ansaldi, Brozovic, Banega, Palacio, Gabriel

Milan XI: Donnarumma 5.5; Calabria 5 (Ocampos 81′, N/A), Zapata 6.5, Romagnoli 6, De Sciglio 4.5; Kucka 4.5 (Locatelli 57′, 6.5), Sosa 5.5 (Lapadula 75′, 6), Fernandez 6; Suso 6.5, Bacca 5.5, Deulofeu 6.5

Unused Subs: Plizzari, Storari, Gomez, Paletta, Antonelli, Vangioni, Honda, Poli

Referee: Daniele Orsato