On May 11, 2001, Milan thrashed city rivals Inter 6-0 at San Siro in what could possibly be the most infamous Derby della Madonnina.

Words: Tom Scholes

Milan ended that season in sixth place, just two points off of Inter, who themselves were chasing qualification to the Champions League, but this result soured the Nerazzurri’s hopes and almost made up for any shortcomings in the league.

On May 11, 2001, Milan thrashed city rivals Inter 6-0 at San Siro in what could possibly be the most infamous Derby della Madonnina.

Words: Tom Scholes

Milan ended that season in sixth place, just two points off of Inter, who themselves were chasing qualification to the Champions League, but this result soured the Nerazzurri’s hopes and almost made up for any shortcomings in the league.

The 2000-01 season had been somewhat of a mess for the Rossoneri. Owner and President Silvio Berlusconi was on his way to being elected as Prime Minister, Cesare Maldini became caretaker boss and a disappointing Serie A campaign made this whole year a right-off for many at the club.

As for Inter, their season hadn’t been much better, with a Champions League exit to Helsingborg costing Marcello Lippi his job, replaced by Marco Tardelli. Despite having star striker Christian Vieri fit for the whole campaign, the Nerazzurri still finished five points behind Parma.

The choreography before kick-off in the Curva Sud had the Diavolo throttling a blue and black snake, the symbol of Inter. It would prove to be prescient.

A lot was riding on this game, and it only took two minutes for Milan to take the lead through a good finish from Gianni Comandini. The Italian only scored three goals for Milan in his time at the club, and two of them came in this game! His second came when he powered home a header from the edge of the six-yard box and that really set the tone for the rest of the evening.

It didn’t get much better in the second half when Federico Giunti’s free kick evaded everyone in the box and managed to sneak past Sebastien Frey. Further goals from Serginho and a brace from Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko further humiliated Inter.

Vieri cut an isolated figure up front for Tardelli’s side, and with Milan in such rampant form on the day, it’s no wonder the Inter midfield couldn’t get any service to the Italian.

At the sixth goal, the camera cut to Tardelli on the bench, mouthing the most Italian of reactions: “Mamma mia…”

This result remains one of the most embarrassing for Inter, with the Curva Sud at Milan still singing about it to this very day, and the 0-6 remains the biggest margin of defeat in the Derby della Madonnina. 

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