It`s not easy to explain how Milan, seemingly the most disorganized team in the last decade, has managed to win two derbies and draw as many, especially considering that Inter is still competing on multiple fronts. Even yesterday evening, Milan effectively erased the 20-point gap separating them from their cousins in the league. They even tasted victory after Abraham`s goal, the Supercoppa hero. However, in the second half, Calhanoglu`s powerful strike leveled the score.
This time, there were no surprises in added time, nor any VAR incidents. The referee`s first public explanation is postponed until the return leg. The fifth derby, in three weeks, will decide who reaches the Coppa Italia final. For Inter, preoccupied with a potential treble and a challenging April schedule of 8 games in 26 days, the midweek derby feels more like an annoyance than an opportunity on the path to glory. It`s not that their minds are already in Munich, where Bayern awaits them in the Champions League on Tuesday, but this partly explains Inter`s first-half performance.