Soccer

Milan vs. Inter is latest in UCL’s rich history of ‘derbies’

May 9, 2023
9 8 minutes read

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  • Chris Wright, Toe Poke authorMay 9, 2023, 06:00 AM ET

Eternal rivals AC Milan and Inter Milan will contest an all-Italian Champions League semifinal after they go head-to-head at San Siro this week, 20 years after they final met in the ultimate 4 of Europe’s most prestigious membership competitors.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, extra (U.S.)

This season’s two-legged tie is the primary all-Italian Champions League semifinal encounter since that assembly in 2003, in which Milan superior courtesy of a valuable away purpose after each legs ended stage (0-0, 1-1).

The Rossoneri then confronted additional Italian opposition, beating Juventus on penalties in one of the competitors’s extra forgettable Champions League finals which went goalless for 120 minutes earlier than the shootout.

The final time the 2 golf equipment squared off in the Champions League got here in the 2004-05 quarterfinals. Once once more, Milan received a stormy conflict in which the second leg was deserted after 72 minutes as a result of crowd hassle and Milan goalkeeper Dida being hit by a flare thrown from the stands, with UEFA awarding Carlo Ancelotti’s aspect a default 3-0 win to spice up their combination victory to 5-0.

The picture of Inter’s Marco Materazzi and Milan’s Rui Costa standing collectively and observing the chaos in entrance of them stays one of essentially the most iconic in the competitors’s history.

Domestically, a derby sport is often outlined as one between two groups from the identical metropolis or neighbouring cities. However, even when, in a European context, we develop that out to imply video games between groups from the identical nation, they’re nonetheless one thing of a uncommon commodity in the European Cup. In the 68 years because the inaugural competitors of 1955-56 there have been a complete of 43 ties between golf equipment from the identical nation.

The first such derby got here in the third 12 months of the European Cup’s existence as Real Madrid and Sevilla of Spain contested a 12-goal thriller throughout two legs in the quarterfinals of the 1957-58 competitors. Real received the primary 8-0 earlier than being held 2-2 in the second. After eliminating Vasas of Hungary in the semis, Madrid then went on to beat AC Milan 3-2 after additional time in the ultimate.

Los Blancos lifted the inaugural European Cup after which proceeded to say the primary 5 titles between 1956 and 1960, which stays a file for many consecutive competitors wins. They have additionally performed 11 derbies towards different Spanish golf equipment throughout each the European Cup and Champions League period, greater than some other group.

Thanks in half to an odd five-season part that noticed them face one another six instances in European ties between 2004-05 and 2008-09, English pair Chelsea and Liverpool are subsequent with 10 derbies apiece.

England has produced essentially the most derby ties in European Cup history general with 16 up to now, carefully adopted by Spain with 14. German golf equipment (together with these from pre-unification East and West Germany) have produced seven derbies, whereas the rely for Italian golf equipment will increase to 6 with this season’s semis. Meanwhile, French golf equipment have performed only one derby in European soccer’s elite competitors: the 2009-10 Champions League quarterfinal between Lyon and Bordeaux.

Since 1955-56, a complete of eight European Cup/Champions League finals have been contested between two golf equipment from the identical nation, the primary incidence being the 1999-00 Champions League remaining between Real Madrid and Valencia, which resulted in a 3-0 victory for Los Blancos. All coming because the flip of the century, there have been three all-Spanish Champions League finals, three all-English, one all-German and one all-Italian.

Real Madrid haven’t solely featured in all three of the Spanish ‘derby’ finals, but in addition emerged victorious in all three as properly: beating Valencia in 1999-00, then Atletico Madrid each in 2013-14 and 2015-16. Indeed, Real and Atletico are the one golf equipment from the identical metropolis to have confronted one another in the ultimate.

With simply 10 derbies performed between 1955-56 and 1992-93 (when the European Cup was rebranded because the Champions League), video games between golf equipment from the identical nation have change into way more prevalent because the flip of the century. Indeed, because the 1999-00 marketing campaign a complete of 31 derbies have taken place in simply 24 years, with solely 4 seasons (2000-01, 2011-12, 2019-20, 2021-22) passing with out at the least one to talk of. By distinction, the European Cup ran for 11 consecutive seasons between 1961-62 and 1972-73 with out producing a single derby tie, with solely six additional derbies happening till the Champions League period started in 1992-93.

The dramatic rise in prevalence is as a result of a change in the format of the competitors, and in addition a byproduct of UEFA bequeathing extra computerized qualifying slots and cash to golf equipment from Europe’s prime leagues. UEFA first allowed a number of nationwide representatives (two golf equipment per nation) to participate in the Champions League in 1998, although this was raised to permit a most of 4 golf equipment from one nation from 1999-2000 onward.

Domestic rivals are typically stored aside in the group stage and spherical of 16 — though Chelsea and Liverpool had been each pitted in the identical group in 2005-06 after Liverpool had been afforded particular dispensation as defending champions regardless of failing to qualify by way of their home league place. Because of this, the percentages of these groups ultimately assembly in the knockout part is clearly elevated.

Memorable Champions League derbies

Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Bayern Munich, 1997-98 quarterfinal (0-0, 1-0)

Notable for being the primary derby tie between two golf equipment from the identical nation of the Champions League period, the primary leg did not produce a purpose as Bayern and reigning European champions Dortmund hammered out a 0-0 draw on the Olympiastadion in Munich.

The second leg additionally went the gap because the German foes performed out one other nervy 109 minutes earlier than Stephane Chapuisat let fly with a strike that proved sufficient to settle the gruelling two-legged Klassiker in Dortmund’s favour.

Valencia 5-3 Barcelona, 1999-2000 semifinal (4-1, 1-2)

The first Champions League derby of the brand new millennium noticed Valencia trigger a serious upset over two legs to knock Barcelona out on the semifinal stage. An impressed 4-1 victory on the Mestalla (together with a superb 92nd-minute purpose from Claudio Lopez) helped ship Hector Cuper’s aspect to the ultimate on the Stade de France. They got here unstuck towards fellow Spaniards Real Madrid there, and suffered extra heartbreak a 12 months later after they misplaced one other remaining, this time to Bayern Munich at San Siro.

Manchester United 1-1 (6-5 pens) Chelsea, 2007-08 remaining

Premier League heavyweights Manchester United and Chelsea got here face-to-face on a wet night time in Moscow, a becoming venue for Chelsea as they reached their first-ever Champions League remaining underneath the possession of Roman Abramovich. The majority of the all-English tie was a decent affair, till Didier Drogba was despatched off in the previous few minutes of additional time for slapping Nemanja Vidic, however the conclusion will reside on eternally as a fateful slip on the sodden turf noticed Chelsea captain John Terry flunk an important spot kick in the shootout, leaving him distraught and weeping in the rain.

Liverpool 5-7 Chelsea, 2008-09 quarterfinal (1-3, 4-4)

Liverpool and Chelsea noticed an terrible lot of one another on a number of fronts in the mid-2000s — 24 instances in simply 5 seasons between 2004-05 and 2008-09, in truth. While many of these conferences throughout 5 completely different competitions resulted in stodgy, low-scoring affairs, the Premier League rivals additionally laid on a couple of goalfests for good measure. The 2008-09 quarterfinal was one of the perfect, with the second leg in specific seeing the benefit change arms on quite a few events.

With three away objectives underneath their belt, Chelsea had been put in as heavy favourites for the second leg at Stamford Bridge. However, Liverpool scored twice in the primary half-hour to go in 2-0 up at half-time. The actual enjoyable started virtually instantly after the restart as a calamitous fumble from Pepe Reina noticed Drogba squeeze dwelling a tame tap-in from the byline. Alex then scored a thunderous free kick to equalise on the night time earlier than Frank Lampard put Chelsea 3-2 up in the second leg and 6-3 forward on combination.

With roughly 10 minutes left to play, Liverpool staged an adrenaline-fuelled revival by scoring twice in fast succession although Lucas Leiva and Dirk Kuyt in the 81st and 83rd minutes respectively to depart the Reds needing only one additional purpose to undergo at their hosts’ expense. Alas, it was Chelsea who had the final giggle as Lampard scored his second of the sport with an excellent first-time end that went in off the publish to extinguish Liverpool’s resurgence as soon as and for all.

Real Madrid 4-1 (aet) Atletico Madrid, 2013-14 remaining

Guarding a one-goal lead from the thirty sixth minute onward in Lisbon, coach Diego Simeone’s characteristically dogged Atletico aspect appeared to have one proverbial hand on the trophy in second-half harm time. However, deep into the 93rd minute, Real compelled a nook which resulted in a last-gasp header from Sergio Ramos sending the ultimate into additional time. With Atletico properly and really deflated, Los Blancos ran roughshod in the following half-hour and ultimately received 4-1 to emphatically finish their 12-year watch for La Decima — the membership’s tenth European title.

Tottenham Hotspur (a) 4-4 Manchester City, 2018-19 quarterfinal (1-0, 3-4)

While a 1-0 win in the house leg had successfully put Tottenham in the driving seat, issues didn’t precisely go to plan on the Etihad. A frenzied begin noticed 4 objectives scored inside the primary 11 minutes with a fifth from Raheem Sterling after 21 minutes placing City 3-2 up on the night time.

Sergio Aguero then added one other in the second half as City appeared to be pulling away, just for Spurs’ back-up striker Fernando Llorente to bundle the ball throughout the road together with his pelvis (based on the agonisingly lengthy VAR evaluation) to place his aspect forward on away objectives.

With the drama unrelenting, there was extra mayhem to return in stoppage time as Sterling steered dwelling to finish his hat trick and ship City via with the ultimate kick of the sport — just for VAR to intervene and strike the purpose from the file over essentially the most marginal of offsides noticed in the buildup.

Spurs’ luck continued in the semifinal when Lucas Moura accomplished his hat trick late in the semifinal second leg towards Ajax to ship them via to the ultimate. But fortune abandoned them in Madrid as Liverpool had been awarded a penalty in the primary minute, which Mohamed Salah transformed because the Reds went on to win the Champions League remaining ‘derby’ 2-0.



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May 9, 2023
9 8 minutes read

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