Watch: Tactical camera shows how Milan cleverly created opening vs. Inter for winning goal

AC Milan’s winning goal against Inter in the derby was one that came off the training ground, as Pervis Estupinan himself confirmed.

Not long after Mkhitaryan had missed a huge chance to put Inter ahead with a 1v1, Milan made them pay by scoring at the other end through Estupinan. The left wing-back went on a surging run into the box that was found by an excellent pass from Fofana, firing into the top corner at the near post.

After the game, when speaking to DAZN, the Ecuadorian confirmed that it was an area of space that Massimiliano Allegri had encouraged him to attack: “We worked hard on it all week, the coach told me to attack and I found the right moment.”

😍 The way #ACMilan worked the ball around and then through Inter’s central block, leaving Estupinan 1v1 for the goal.

📹 @paride_pastapic.twitter.com/uQ2EuBa710

— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) March 9, 2026

How Milan’s goal developed

The analyst Paride Pasta explains the move as follows: “Luis Enrique’s lapse in concentration and the perfect timing between Fofana’s assist and Estupiñán’s run.

“But above all, Milan’s idea of dragging Bisseck out of position: first with Rabiot, then with Pulisic, progressively emptying the centre of Inter’s defence.

“Once again, the sluggishness of the Nerazzurri in shifting their midfield line emerges when the ball travels toward their own left flank:

“Mkhitaryan slides late in his challenge on Tomori, with the usual team support from Zielinski and a sluggish Barella who stays distant from his team-mates. The Italian midfielder thus finds himself late in closing the central space… giving Fofana the time to control and deliver the decisive assist.

“The moment Mkhitaryan plays the ball toward Tomori, one of the conceptual problems with Inter’s defence comes to light: there’s a lack of communication between Akanji and Bastoni.

“Out of fear of the ball over the top of the third man, both of them break off to cover Leao at the moment of Fofana’s pass… when they could have simply switched off on Leao and left the Swiss centre-back to absorb Pulisic without forcing Bisseck to step so far ‘inside’… thus leaving space between himself and Luis Henrique.

“Keeping Bastoni like that in no-man’s-land to provide spatial cover (on the ball side, no less) is practically useless and downright detrimental to the system..”