Inter Milan head coach Cristian Chivu revealed after the match that he had to rework his attacking plans for Saturday’s Derby della Madonnina after illness affected forwards Ange-Yoan Bonny and Pio Esposito before the 3-1 defeat to AC Milan. The loss at San Siro ended Inter’s unbeaten start to the 2026/27 Serie A season and gave Milan their fourth straight win over their city rivals in all competitions.
Illness forces late changes to Inter’s attack
Neither Bonny nor Esposito was fit enough to start the derby. Chivu explained that Esposito had felt unwell in the days leading up to the game. According to Italian news agency ANSA, the coach added that Bonny vomited throughout Friday night and still had a fever on matchday.
With both forwards out of the starting line-up, Chivu had to improvise. He started Marcus Thuram as the central striker, with Andy Diouf in an advanced role and Petar Sučić in midfield. The coach wanted to use two players between the lines, two quick wide players and Diouf’s runs into space to stretch Milan’s defence.
Chivu admitted after the match that the makeshift plan did not work as he had hoped. He made clear that the changes were forced by the condition of his players rather than tactical preference. Both unwell forwards still managed to come off the bench in the 82nd minute, with Bonny replacing Yann Bisseck and Esposito coming on for Nicolò Barella. Their brief appearances showed they could play limited minutes, though they did not confirm that either player had fully recovered.
Chivu criticises Inter’s approach and attitude
Despite the disrupted build-up, Chivu refused to use the illness outbreak as an excuse for the result. He said his team approached the match poorly and played too passively at times. He also felt the players needed to show a better attitude in important moments.
The Inter boss called on his squad to regain the focus, intensity, determination and fighting spirit they showed more consistently last season. He warned his players not to dwell on past achievements and urged them to stay humble, attentive and hungry throughout the campaign. While Chivu noted that Inter had good spells after raising their tempo and could have drawn level before Mike Maignan made an important save, he gave credit to Milan for their display.
Match report: AC Milan 3-1 Inter
AC Milan made a fast start and took the lead in the fourth minute. Diego Moreira found space on the right wing and crossed into the penalty box, where Christian Pulisic headed into the bottom corner. The hosts doubled their lead six minutes later from a corner. Moreira delivered the ball to Adrien Rabiot, whose left-footed shot went in off the post.
Inter pulled a goal back in the 22nd minute from their own set piece. Hakan Çalhanoğlu sent a corner into the box, Manuel Akanji flicked the ball on and Alessandro Bastoni headed in from close range. The goal lifted the visitors as they pushed for an equaliser. Maignan produced a sharp reflex save to deny Spence and also dealt with first-half efforts from Çalhanoğlu, Diouf and Sučić.
Milan restored their two-goal lead just before half-time through Moreira, who finished the match with one goal and two assists. In the 43rd minute, he curled a left-footed free kick over the wall and past goalkeeper Josep Martínez to make it 3-1.
Inter tried to build pressure after the break, with Diouf attempting a chip in the 54th minute before Carlos Augusto failed to make clean contact with a pass from Çalhanoğlu soon after. Milan defended their lead well as Barella had a shot blocked and Maignan stopped Thuram during a goalmouth scramble in the 70th minute.
The hosts also dealt with late attempts from Akanji and Piotr Zieliński. At the other end, Martínez saved from Cisse in stoppage time before the final whistle confirmed Milan’s win.
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Fitness concerns ahead of Feyenoord trip
Chivu said his side must respond quickly with a Champions League trip to Feyenoord coming up on Tuesday, 3 November. The short turnaround makes the recovery of Bonny and Esposito an important concern before the match in Rotterdam.
Inter returned to training at Appiano Gentile on Sunday, 1 November, to begin their preparations. The club’s training report gave no individual medical updates on Bonny or Esposito, leaving their availability for Tuesday unconfirmed. Chivu is expected to face further questions about his squad’s fitness before the match.
