No photo of the Derby della Madonnina is more iconic than the one featuring Inter’s Marco Materazzi and Milan’s Rui Costa in their meeting in the Champions League in 2005.
With the Rossoneri beating Napoli and the Nerazzurri beating Benfica in the Champions League quarter-finals, the two sides will battle it out next month in the semi-finals for a spot in the most important game of the European football calendar.
One image that has dominated discussions – and been widely recreated featuring Inter and Milan’s modern stars Romelu Lukaku and Rafael Leao – is the one taken on April 12 2005, featuring Materazzi and Rui Costa standing together as fans lob red flares onto the pitch in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
That clash was one of the tensest Derby della Madonnina clashes in recent memory, and the story started two years earlier in 2003. In the Champions League that season, Milan went on to lift the trophy after edging out a win over Inter in the semi-finals, 1-1 on aggregate but progressing through ‘away’ goals, a frustrating reality for the Nerazzurri considering both games took place at San Siro.
Inter were hungry for revenge heading into that infamous Champions League quarter-final tie in 2005, something clearly stated by club president Massimo Moratti ahead of the match.
“Let’s say that that 2003 semi-final has remained in our minds. Now we have, in a nutshell, the chance to get this annoyance out of the way. It’s all very well, we know that the derby is a match that generates more passion than all the others, but I think it will be something interesting for football.”
Both teams had done well in the competition up to that stage. Milan topped a group containing Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic, before eliminating Manchester United in the Round of 16. Inter also won their group, beating out Werder Bremen, Valencia and Anderlecht, before showing Porto the door in the first round of the knock-out stages.
The first leg of the Champions League Derby della Madonnina in 2005 kicked off on April 5 and saw Milan walk away 2-0 winners, with goals coming from defender Jaap Stam and Andriy Shevchenko. The result allowed the Rossoneri to start thinking ahead of the semi-finals, leaving Inter bitter and even hungrier to take revenge a week later.
The atmosphere at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza was absolutely electric on April 12 for the second leg, with every seat full as the two sides battled it out for European glory. Being a local derby, the game had more meaning than just simply progressing to the next round – it was about colouring the city blue and black or red and black.
Unfortunately for Roberto Mancini and his Inter squad, things didn’t particularly go to plan, and they found themselves 1-0 down after 30 minutes following a well-placed shot from Shevchenko, making the Nerazzurri’s task even taller.
Inter thought they’d clawed back an equaliser in the 71st minute with an Esteban Cambiasso header from a corner, but referee Markus Merk chalked off the goal after seeing an alleged foul by Julio Cruz on Dida, a moment that ignited the rising tensions in San Siro.
That call infuriated the Nerazzurri faithful and many in the Curva Nord began throwing various objects onto the pitch, including lit red flares, one of which hit Dida on the right shoulder. He was escorted away from the danger zone and referee Merk called the two squads back to their dressing rooms, pausing the match.
Inter and Milan returned to the pitch 26 minutes later, but it quickly became apparent that the game wouldn’t be able to continue, so proceedings were ended for safety reasons.
The Rossoneri were awarded a 3-0 default win and progressed to the semi-finals, whilst the Nerazzurri were left heartbroken and dejected once again.
Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti discussed the drama after the match, sharing his frustration with the behaviour of the fans.
“What happened is the fault of Italian culture. I have lived through many derbies first as a player and then as a coach and this is the first time I have witnessed something like this. The whole of Milan has been penalised, a city that has always shown great fairness.
“Everyone should stop making drama on TV. In our football there is so much gratuitous chatter that brings out other aspects of football that have nothing to do with the game.
“What happened today was an unexpected reaction, there is a culture to change and a sport to be lived with more tranquillity.”
Milan went onto face Liverpool in the Champions League final in Istanbul that season, a match that needs a different article to properly discuss, whilst Inter rediscovered some happiness in the Coppa Italia, beating Roma in the final.
18 years later, Milan and Inter will again face each other in the Champions League, fighting in the semi-finals for a chance at glory on the European stage, setting up one of the most important Derby della Madonnina clashes of the last two decades.