Sacchi responds after Milan 1-1 Inter: Trophy has different meaning for both sides | OneFootball

Arrigo Sacchi believes that everything has been left to play for in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final between Milan and Inter after the 1-1 draw between the two sides in San Siro on Wednesday night, which he feels was the ‘correct’ result on the night.

A special edition of the Derby della Madonnina took place on Wednesday night: The fourth so far in 2025-26. Tammy Abraham opened the scoring two minutes into the second half, which was cancelled out by a Hakan Calhanoglu rocket midway through the second period.

The two teams will meet again for the return leg, also in San Siro, on April 23.

Rafael Leao controls the ball ahead of Matteo Darmian of FC Internazionale during the Coppa Italia Semi Final match between AC Milan and FC Internazionale at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 02, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

How Sacchir enacted to Milan 1-1 Inter

Writing in his La Gazzetta dello Sport column, Sacchi believes that the result, on the whole, was “correct”, particularly given the even nature of the first-half. He feels that Milan responded to Inter’s attempts “blow for blow” and praises both teams for their tactical discipline: Milan in a 4-2-3-1 that looked like a 4-4-2 in defensive phases, Inter in Inzaghi’s preferred 3-5-2 shape.

Sacchi also feels that both teams deserve praise for their work out of possession, and feels that both coaches paid a lot of attention to detail, even though the pressing was not quite as intense as he typically enjoys.

Yann Aurel Bisseck of FC Internazionale gets past Tammy Abraham  during the Coppa Italia Semi Final match at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 02, 2025 in San Siro, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Sacchi says that he predicted a draw between the two sides before kick-off, and expects the second leg to still be an open affair as he thinks the Derby della Madonnina is usually a one-off affair, where previous form does not necessarily matter.

Both teams need to progress for varying reasons: Milan to ‘rescue’ their season and secure at least some form of European competition for 2025-26, Inter to keep their dream of an historic treble alive.