Gab Marcotti marvels at the performance of 39-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 2-1 Milan derby win over Inter (1:00)
AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, recently recovered from the coronavirus, scored an early brace to secure a 2-1 victory over neighbors Internazionale in the Serie A derby on Saturday
The 39-year-old Swedish striker put Milan ahead after 13 minutes, patting the rebound ball after his penalty was saved by Samir Handanovic, and struck again three minutes later to give his team their first championship victory their neighbors since January 2016
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Romelu Lukaku pulled one off for Inter in the 29th minute, the first Serie A goal Milan have conceded this season, and a penalty kick was overturned by VAR for offside in the second half
Milan have won all four Serie A games this season and lead with 12 points while Inter have seven after their first loss
AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli has said he needs Ibrahimovic’s prowess on both sides of the pitch to help the team achieve victory
« He was very tired and asked for a replacement but I didn’t listen to him and he stayed on the pitch until the end », said Pioli « He is a champion in everything. he makes, an exemplary professional who always wants to win and his contribution to the team is very important «
« There are three or four teams that have invested more than us and are ahead of us on the road to the title, » he said.
« We have invested for the long term and we are ambitious To aim for the title, we have to raise the level of the players and we are doing it But our journey will take more than a year The club has been able to lay the foundations »
His counterpart Antonio Conte, frustrated by the defeat, returned to one of his favorite themes, claiming that Inter had failed to take a chance
« We are sorry to have lost a game where we played well Milan was good and I think also lucky We lacked focus on their two goals, » he said
« In every game we create so many chances to score goals, but we have to be more clinical to take them It’s disappointing because the guys certainly put in the effort and thought they could win »
The first half was a game from start to finish, but the pace dropped significantly in the second half as mistakes crept in and the game got more and more painful
Inter had six players unavailable after testing positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days and more were returning from a hectic week of international football, including three from South America
Ibrahimovic, who returned to training last week after testing positive for COVID-19, had an instant impact being fouled by Aleksandar Kolarov and winning a penalty Although his kick was saved he was able to take advantage of the rebound
Three minutes later, Hakan Calhanoglu sent Rafael Leao clearing to the left and his inviting cross was calmly handed over by Ibrahimovic at the far post
Inter quickly returned to the game thanks to Lukaku Ivan Perisic broke free on the left, his low cross goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in no man’s land and Lukaku reacted in time to score from close range
As Inter took control, Lautaro Martinez saw a header cleared by Simon Kjaer and Lukaku a few inches wide after being left unmarked by the Milan defense
Inter also had the best chances in a much more moderate second half and got a penalty when Lukaku fell under challenge from Donnarumma, but VAR ruled the Belgian was offside in the preparation
Lukaku was twice close to equalizing the stoppage time as he pushed the ball away and saw a back effort saved by Donnarumma
Ibrahimovic said it was difficult to miss training while self-isolating after testing positive for coronavirus
« Your pace drops completely and the body starts to shake because it wants to train and play, » he says « I was stuck at home for two weeks, it was not easy, mentally it’s hard especially with the high pace we had before «
« I was tested every three days to see the result, I thought I could skip the other games but not the derby No one was going to stop me We hadn’t beaten Inter for four years in the league and I was hungry «
Ibrahimovic said he was disappointed to see a penalty saved even though he chained and scored on the rebound for Milan’s opening goal
« I shouldn’t miss a penalty, » he said « The important thing is that the team won I am the oldest in the team, I feel a lot of responsibility and I like it feeling because they all follow my example and are thirsty to win «
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He may be in his 40th year, but on derby day Zlatan Ibrahimovic once again showed just how much of a dynamic force he can be
AC Milan
World News – UA – Internazionale vs AC Milan – Football Match Report – October 17, 2020 – ESPN
