Balotelli kisses AC Milan’s shirt
(Image credit: Sky Sports)
After 35 minutes on the clock we were already graced with a goal in the Derby della Madonnina, which saw the home side AC Milan take the lead. The goal came by way of Brazilian defender Alex after Honda provided a cross from the wings.
In the second half of the Derby della Madonnina, Inter boss Mancini brought on Icardi from the bench – replacing Jovetic in the 64th minute. A few minutes later he was tripped by Alex in Rossoneri’s penalty box, and referee Antonio Damato quickly ordered a penalty for Inter. Unfortunately for the visiting side, Icardi didn’t rise to the occasion as he saw his penalty shot hit the woodwork.
The missed chance proved disastrous for the Nerazzurri, as three minutes later striker Carlos Bacca found the back of the net on the opposite side of the pitch. Inter didn’t have a chance to recover and Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men took advantage by adding another goal from Niang’s strike soon after in the 77th minute. The scoreboard read 3-0 for AC Milan at the end of the Derby della Madonnina.
AC Milan supporters displayed a banner in honor of Mark Hateley’s 1984 Derby della Madonnina winner
(Image credit: BBC Sport)
Milan last clinched the Serie A title in 2011, however the following season they saw a number of high profile players depart, which saw the club left without major experience on the pitch. Despite clinching a win over their fierce rivals and collecting three points in the process, Milan sit in 6th position on the table with 36 points.
Inter on the other are 4th with five more points to their name. The Nerazzurri have enjoyed a great run at the beginning of the season, but have since succumbed to loss in form and player injuries. Many online sportsbooks were giving them decent odds for the title back in September of last year, while now Napoli and Juventus are looking to be the only ones to fight it out for the Serie A trophy.
Bet365 gives the Turin side favourite odds to win the title 1.72 (8/11), while Napoli are the underdogs 2.10 (11/10).
The most entertaining part of the Derby della Madonnina came when Balotelli came on in the 79th minute and one minute later he already collected a yellow card. Seems that this guy never learns, does he? Maybe for Milan’s next match it might be wise to consider placing a wager on Balotelli getting booked, although to be fair the odds for that are probably very low considering that’s very likely.