Lemons, flares and firsts: Five standout Derby della Madonnina moments

Date: 21st October 2018 at 9:24am
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On Sunday evening, Inter and AC Milan will face each other in the first edition of the Derby della Madonnina for the 2018/19 season, and it is another highly-anticipated contest between two of Italy’s biggest clubs.

The Milan Derby owes its nickname due to the statue of the Virgin Mary on top of Il Duomo, the main cathedral in Milan, and the fixture has often produced great moments of skill as well as drama, tension, and controversy.

Here are five memorable moments from one of the most prestigious matches on the Italian football calendar, encapsulating the best and the worst of the derby.

1. Dida struck by a flare in the Champions League

Both teams played each other in the 2002/03 Champions League semi-finals but that two-legged tie did not possess the same drama and controversy as their quarter-final meeting in 2005.

Milan had won the first leg 2-0 and were leading 1-0 in the second one until the 73rd minute. Inter midfielder Esteban Cambiasso had a goal disallowed and then flares were thrown onto the pitch with one of them hitting Rossoneri goalkeeper Dida.

The game was abandoned by German referee Markus Merk and the Diavolo were awarded a 3-0 victory for the second leg. They then eliminated Dutch team PSV Eindhoven in the semi-finals before losing a dramatic final on penalties to English giants Liverpool.

2. Mark Hateley’s towering header

Although Luther Blissett flopped for AC Milan in the 1983/84 season, this did not deter them from signing another English striker for the following campaign.

Portsmouth centre-forward Mark Hateley replaced his compatriot in the summer of 1984 after starring in England’s victory in the European Under-21 Championship, which included eliminating Italy in the semi-finals.

He scored 17 goals in 66 Serie A games for the Rossoneri but his most-talked about goal was the winner in the Derby della Madonnina in October 1984.

Alessandro Altobelli opened the scoring for Inter after 10 minutes but Agostino Di Bartolomei equalised in the 33rd minute. It was 18 minutes into the second half when Pietro Paolo Virdis crossed the ball from the right-wing, Hateley leapt right above Biscione centre-back Fulvio Collovati, and Walter Zenga in the Nerazzurri goal had little hope of stopping the header.

3. Cucchiaroni misses a penalty due to a lemon

Four Milan derbies were played throughout the 1957/58 season, with two played in Serie A and another two in the Coppa Italia. Inter won the first encounter in the league 1-0 thanks to a penalty converted by full-back Guido Vincenzi but that match is best remembered for one that was missed by AC Milan left-winger Ernesto Cucchiaroni.

Near the end of the match, Concetto Lo Bello awarded a penalty to the Rossoneri and while the referee was not looking, Nerazzurri forward Benito Lorenzi placed half a lemon onto the penalty spot. Cucchiaroni stepped up to take the kick and the ball flew high into the stands.

Ironically Lorenzi’s nickname was ‘Poison’ and both Vincenzi and Cucchiaroni became teammates at Sampdoria in the 1958/59 season.

4. Mazzola scoring the 1uickest Derby goal ever

Inter won the Serie A title in 1962/63 and one of the breakthrough stars for the Nerazzurri in that campaign was Sandro Mazzola, who scored 10 goals in 23 league games that season.

One of them was in the second Derby della Madonnina of that season and it was the fastest ever goal scored in the fixture with the Nerazzurri forward scoring after just 13 seconds.

Not a single AC Milan player touched a ball during the move. Beniamino Di Giacomo kicked-off, the ball then went to Suarez, and he passed to Corso, who hit a long pass to the advancing Mazzola. He then passes the ball to Suarez, who takes a heavy touch, but Di Giacomo played a sideways pass to Mazzola, who ran into the box and scored with an angled drive.

For Mazzola, it was only the beginning of a stellar career. He scored 160 goals in 565 competitive games for Inter and won many trophies with the club including back-to-back European Cups in 1964 and 1965.

5. Trere scoring the first goal in a Milan Derby AC Milan 3-2 Inter (Prima Divisione 1909)

The first competitive meeting between AC Milan and Inter took place in January 1909 in the Prima Divisione, which was the highest level of competition in Italy before Serie A commenced in 1929/30.

This was played at the now-defunct Campo Milan di Porta Monforte and the Rossoneri emerged victorious with a 3-2 victory. The man credited with scoring the first goal in the derby was left-half Attilio Trere, who scored after 25 minutes.

Trere made history again in the following year, playing for Italy in their first-ever international which they won 6-2 against France.

The victory in the derby wasn’t enough for AC Milan as US Milanese topped their group and eventually progressed to the final before losing to Pro Vercelli. However, US Milanese no longer exist today whereas the Rossoneri and Nerazzurri have gone from strength to strength.

 

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