When sons excel in Serie A.. Diego Moreira leads Milan to a legendary display against Inter

31.10.26 FT Serie A Italy

AC Milan

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Inter

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AC Milan defeated city rivals Inter Milan 3-1 in Saturday's Derby della Madonnina, with Diego Moreira delivering a remarkable performance, scoring once and providing two assists at San Siro.

The 22 year old winger whose father represented Guinea Bissau internationally, was directly involved in all three Milan goals as Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot and Moreira struck during an entertaining first half.

Alessandro Bastoni scored Inter's only goal in the 22nd minute but Cristian Chivu's side could not prevent their first Serie A defeat of the 2026 /27 campaign.

The result secured the Rossoneri's fourth consecutive victory over their city rivals across all competitions.

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Milan score twice in ten minutes to stun Inter

Milan made an extraordinary start to the Serie A Matchday 10 encounter, taking the lead after just four minutes.

Moreira created the opening goal with an accurate left footed cross from the right flank, finding Pulisic inside the penalty area.

The American international directed a header beyond Inter goalkeeper Josep Martínez to give Rúben Amorim's side the perfect start.

Six minutes later, Moreira produced another decisive contribution.

The Belgian winger delivered a corner towards Rabiot who finished from close range to double Milan's advantage in the tenth minute.

Inter responded in the 22nd minute when Bastoni headed home following a corner from Hakan Calhanoglu that was flicked on by Manuel Akanji.

The goal briefly revived Inter's hopes of a comeback, with the visitors subsequently creating several dangerous opportunities.

However, Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan produced an outstanding save to deny Djed Spence an equaliser.

Diego Moreira's spectacular free-kick seals the derby

Moreira completed his remarkable first-half performance in the 43rd minute.

After Milan were awarded a free-kick approximately 25 yards from goal, the winger stepped forward and produced an impressive left-footed strike beyond Martinez.

The goal restored Milan's two-goal advantage and sent the Rossoneri into half time leading 3-1.

It also completed an extraordinary individual display, with Moreira recording one goal and two assists before the interval.

The performance represented another major milestone for the former Strasbourg winger who joined Milan in August 2026.

Moreira is the son of Almami Moreira, a former Guinea Bissau international.

Although he represents Belgium at senior international level, his family background provides a significant connection to African football.

The winger previously represented Portugal at youth level before making his Belgium debut in 2025.

Andy Diouf and other African-linked players feature in the derby

The encounter also involved several players with African family backgrounds.

Inter midfielder Andy Diouf who has Senegalese heritage, started for Chivu's side before being replaced by Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the 72nd minute.

The French international has become an increasingly important member of Inter's squad since joining from Lens in 2025.

As Foot Africa previously reported, Diouf earned his first senior France call up in September 2026, having previously attracted interest from the Senegalese Football Federation.

Milan also started United States international Yunus Musah who has Ghanaian family roots, in midfield alongside Luka Modric.

However, it was Moreira who produced the decisive attacking contributions, directly influencing every Milan goal.

Milan extend derby dominance despite Inter's attacking pressure

Inter controlled substantial periods of the second half but struggled to convert their opportunities.

The Nerazzurri registered 19 shots compared with Milan's seven while also enjoying approximately 57% possession.

Nevertheless, Maignan and Milan's defence prevented the visitors from reducing the deficit.

The result extended Milan's unbeaten sequence against Inter to eight matches across all competitions.

Before Saturday's encounter, the Rossoneri had already defeated their rivals in both league meetings during the 2025 /26 campaign.

As Foot Africa highlighted before the latest derby, Milan entered the fixture seven points behind Inter in the standings.

Their latest victory reduced that gap to four points.

What does the result mean for the Serie A title race?

Milan's victory moved them to 21 points from ten league matches, climbing to fourth place and strengthening their pursuit of the leading clubs.

Inter remained on 25 points after suffering their first domestic league defeat of the season.

The result also provided an important response for Amorim's team after their 4-2 home defeat against Bologna earlier in the week.

Khaled Hegazy |

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Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.

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