L’unica gioia della vita: The Milan Women beat Inter 3-1

Author’s Note: But if you missed the game due to not having access to Sky Sport and/or living outside of Italy, then you’ll be able to watch a replay of the match here. Happy watching!

As the whistle blew at the end of the game between the women on Milan and Inter on this day, a Sunday (and a magnificent one at that), I actually did something I haven’t done for Milan in quite a long time: cry. Well, okay, Milan have actually made me cry (a lot, to be honest), but this time, there was a sense of happiness behind the tears, and not the pure sensation of pain that usually accompanies them.

The first ever derby between the women of Milan and Inter in Serie A kicked off at 15:00/3:00 PM CEST (6:00 am my time) in front of a packed, full, house at the Stadio Breda di Sesta (in San Giovanni, Italy), and I spent the first quarter of the game scrambling for a stream. (The fact of which, is kind of cursed and actually hinders the growth of women’s football in Italy and hinders its popularity outside of the country, but that’s another discussion for another time.)

Fortunately, I was able to follow along via both the twitters of Inter and Milan. Milan immediately began the game on the front foot, as they had to chance to take the lead as early as the fifth minute, when a pass by our very own Lady Andrade, found its way onto the foot of defender Linda Tucceri Cimini, who in turn, crossed it into the box, hoping to find the top of someone’s head (unfortunately, it didn’t). And around seven minutes later (at the twelve minute mark) Tucceri would again, put another cross into the box, and this time, it fell to Francesca Vitale who sadly, fluffed her lines and couldn’t convert it. (It should be noted however, that Francesca actually played well and had a stormer of a game, two missed goals aside.)

The Milanisti however, wouldn’t be sad for too long, as Capitina Giacinti’s pass found its way to Dominika Čonč, who managed to convert her shot inside the penalty box, at the ‘35th minute.

And with that goal, the Milanisti were sent into a state of rapture.

However, Milan began to live life dangerously after that goal, as that old adage that a team is most vulnerable after they score a goal came to fruition around 12 minutes later, when our Slovakian goalkeeper, Mária Korenčiová, had to parry a shot from Stefania Tarenzi (the same player who once trended in Italy due to her bad performances for the national side). She might play bad for Italy, but Stefania is no slouch for Inter, and had every single Diavoli sweating as if we were in the presence of Satan himself. Mária was ridiculed in the previous game against Orobica for having fingers of butter (i.e: like Pepe Reina, except her fingers were even more slippery). However, the Milanisti had to supplicate themselves and beg for forgiveness from her, mainly because we owe it to her after she made that save.

Halftime then came, and I somehow managed to find a stream (thanks to helpful advice from an Interista, who is now my newest friend. Lá maith agat, Ian!) I’m so grateful I got to see the second half, as Milan put on a great performance. They were, for the most part, in complete control during the game, as they would allow Inter little time and space on the ball as they pressed and won possession back, or made clinical interventions that disrupted the Nerazzurre’s passing rhythm. The only slip-up came at the 54th minute, when the defense fell asleep and allowed Gloria Marinelli to find the equalizer. Gloria is currently Inter’s best player, and her performance on the pitch today (capped off by that goal), just confirmed that.

The Rossonere, however, wouldn’t be behind for long, as once again, our Slovenian Čonč, scored her second goal of the game, no less than three minutes later and once again, swung the advantage back towards Milan. The Curva Sud celebrated her goal wildly, and so did we.

Mister Ganz (who celebrated his birthday today, and what a way to celebrate it!) would take Francesca off at the ‘55th minute, and substitute Deborah Salvatori Rinaldi in her place (with the intent being to bring more offensive firepower on the pitch, and to secure that win). The substitution would pay off at the 87th minute, as Deborah was on the receiving end of Valentina Bergamaschi’s free kick, and managed to head it home.

The Rossonere would thus end this game with three goals, and a full three points, and most importantly, have their names etched in the history books. The first ever derby between the women of Milan and Inter (in Serie A) belongs to the women of Milan, and the town is now tinged with the glorious colors of red and black.

Well done, ladies. You put on a commanding performance, as you let your experience and cohesion come through, and utilized them to the full extent to win this important game. And thank you, for being a source of joy in the midst of these troubling times, and for being the light that pierces through a bleak, and suffocating darkness.

Photo by Giuseppe Cottini/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Also, sidenote, but:

• The game received a lot of attention, both in Italy, and abroad. The official account for the FIFA Women’s World Cup even tweeted about it, as did a few accounts normally reserved for men’s football. The game even trended in Italy too. (It’s just a shame it was nearly impossible to watch the match outside of the country, though.)
• Remember when I spoke about the ‘battle’ between Giacinti and Goldoni? Well, there wasn’t much of a battle there, to be honest, mainly because Goldoni was such a non-entity that at times, I even forgot she was actually on the pitch [sweats]. Oh well. She can always make it up to us by posting a few nice pictures on her Instagram.
• (And if there was one, then Giacinti definitely won it, mainly because she actually bothered to show up and play. But anyways ...)

So, in conclusion:

Me, at my beloved Rossonere

The Legend of Korra (Specifically from the episode where Korrasami was confirmed canon!)

Keep it up ladies! And now, it’s onto the next one.