Milan and Inter Draw in the Summer Derby in Australia: Nkunku Equalizes from the Penalty Spot After Dimarco’s Goal

The summer derby held at Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, ended in a 1-1 draw between Inter and Milan. It was a match characterized by a rather slow pace, though there were some promising chances for both sides. Dimarco’s goal early in the second half wasn’t enough for Inter: in the closing minutes, Nkunku converted a penalty kick to secure the draw.

In front of a large crowd in Perth, both teams struggled to find their rhythm, and it took 18 minutes for the first real scoring chance: Loftus-Cheek stole the ball from Bastoni and fed Musah in the center of the box; the American took aim and struck it first-time, but hit the post. At the other end, the only chance came in the 44th minute: following a nice team move by Inter, Zielinski took a shot on goal, but Torriani made the save.

In the second half, which began with Lavelli and Mkhitaryan coming on for Inter in place of Iddrissou and Stankovic, and Nkunku and Estupiñan replacing Cissé and Bartesaghi for Milan, the Nerazzurri took the lead in the 53rd minute: Lavelli finds Barella with a deep pass; today’s captain of the Beneamata delivers a low cross to Dimarco, who—left unmarked by the Rossoneri defense—scores to make it 1-0.

Rossoneri coach Amorim made a whopping eight substitutions in the 63rd minute, bringing on Vladimirov, Leao, Filippo Terracciano, Modric, Saelemaekers, Gonçalo Ramos, Jashari, and De Winter in place of Pavlovic, Loftus-Cheek, Tomori, Fofana, Musah, Camarda, Gabbia, and Chukwueze. Chivu responds in the 70th minute by bringing on Calhanoglu, Provedel, Bonny, Frattesi, Carlos Augusto, and Luis Henrique in place of Zielinski, Josep Martinez, Pio Esposito, Barella, Bastoni, and Diouf. Later on, Bovio and Maye also come on for Pavard and Dimarco.

The substitutions seemed to benefit Milan, which pushed forward and increased the tempo of the game. In the 84th minute, the turning point: Nkunku, played in deep, was fouled in the box—a foul deemed illegal by referee Keevers, who awarded a penalty. The Frenchman stepped up to the spot and, with a powerful strike, left Provedel with no chance. There were no further thrills, and the summer derby ended 1-1.