AC Milan 1-1 Inter Milan Player Ratings: Hakan Calhanoglu Piledriver Share Spoils In the First Leg Of Coppa Italia Semis

AC Milan played out an entertaining 1-1 draw against Inter Milan in the first leg of the 2024/25 Coppa Italia semi-final at the San Siro Stadium, Milan on April 2, 2025. Tammy Abraham scored a clever goal in the 47th minute, but it was cancelled out by Hakan Calhanoglu’s smashing long-range effort to share the spoils in the first leg.

The derby began in a bit of a cagey fashion as the two teams needed some time to get into the rhythm of the clash. However, it was Inter Milan who had the first real chance in the 9th minute, with Joaquin Correa’s powerful effort drawing a save from Mike Maignan. The Rossoneri produced a slick attacking move in the 16th minute, but Theo Hernandez’s shot went well wide.

Stefan de Vrij came close to scoring the opener in the 21st minute, but his header from close range was denied. The Nerazzurri’s goalkeeper Josep Martinez was tested in the 26th minute, after a nice dribbling run from Rafael Leao saw him get a left-footed shot on goal.

Tijani Reijnders had a long-range effort saved in the 39th minute, while Hakan Calhanoglu‘s 41st-minute free kick was parried away by Maginan. However, Inter’s biggest chance came in the 45th minute as Davide Frattesi’s close-range header forced a brilliant reflex save from Maignan to keep the scoreline at 0-0 heading into the break.

AC Milan made their rivals pay for all the missed chances as Tammy Abraham pounced on a lapse in concentration in Inter’s defensive shape to drive a powerful shot into the back of the net to make it 1-0 in the 47th minute. This really woke up the Nerazzurri, who almost immediately responded as a curling attempt from Nicolo Barella in the 50th minute was denied by Maignan.

Leao had an ambitious overhead kick attempt go wide as the Rossoneri kept the pressure on. However, Inter’s push for an equalizer paid off in the 67th minute as an explosive long-range effort from Hakan Calhanoglu soared into the goal, making it 1-1. Both sides started pushing for a potential winner despite struggling with exhaustion. Inter’s substitute Nicola Zalewski had a huge chance to get it, but his close-range effort in the 80th minute was denied.

Henrik Mkhitaryan saw a powerful shot saved by Maignan four minutes later, while Leao had a curler effort go wide in the 89th minute. Ultimately, the two sides had to share spoils and will now play for a place in the Coppa Italia final in the second leg. Here are the AC Milan vs Inter Milan Player Ratings.

AC Milan Player Ratings

GK – Mike Maignan – 7/10

Maignan was razor-sharp in his goal and determined to be a thorn for the visitors. He popped up with some excellent saves to frustrate Inter, but Calhanoglu’s shot was too powerful for him to keep out.

RB – Kyle Walker – 6.5/10

The Englishman was pretty proactive in his backline, reading the Inter moves well and coming up with some important challenges. Neutralized most of Inter’s movement down his side.

CB – Matteo Gabbia – 7/10

Gabbia held together a sturdy defensive shape for AC Milan, and popped up in the right areas to sniff out trouble. He made eight clearances and didn’t allow Marcus Thuram much room to operate.

CB – Mallick Thiaw – 6/10

The German centre-back came up with some nice clearances, but he wasn’t as sharp as his fellow centre-back. Failed to close down Calhonoglu sharply enough before his goal.

LB – Theo Hernandez – 5.5/10

The Frenchman was pretty good with moving the ball around nicely, but struggled defensively. He couldn’t make timely challenges or stop Inter’s movement down his side.

CM – Youssouf Fofana – 7.5/10

Fofana was a real positive energy in the midfield, covering a lot of ground and pressing the Inter midfielders well enough to stop their flow. He came up with many key challenges and won back the ball to set up Abraham’s goal.

CM – Tijani Reijnders – 6.5/10

The Dutchman was again superb with moving the ball forward, completing multiple dribbles and passing it forward efficiently. He helped out defensively, but the equalizer took a slight deflection off his body.

RW – Alex Jimenez – 4.5/10

Jimenez had a pretty forgettable derby. He was harassed by the Inter Milan defenders and failed to get to the end of any chances. Couldn’t create much either in his hollow outing.

AM – Christian Pulisic – 5.5/10

Pulisic created a few decent chances, but didn’t seem to tap into his best. He struggled to get the ball into key attacking areas and couldn’t create much room for himself either.

LW – Rafael Leao – 7/10

Leao was a breath of fresh air with his blistering forward runs. He completed a few attractive dribble runs to get into prime areas and saw a first-half shot saved well.

CF – Tammy Abraham – 7.5/10

The English forward had a pretty quiet first half, but burst into life at the break. He tricked multiple Inter players to score that goal, and continues to be a problem for the Nerazzurri in these derbies.

SUB – Riccardo Sottil – 5.5/10

Sottil couldn’t create much after coming, but was accurate with his passing wok.

SUB – Joao Felix – 5.5/10

The Chelsea loanee couldn’t make a major impact, failing to be inspiring in the final third.

SUB – Santiago Gimenez – 5/10

Failed to get the end of any chances.

SUB – Warren Bondo – N/R

Helped his side stay alive in the midfield battle.

SUB – Samuel Chukwueze – N/R

Failed to make a late impact.

Manager – Sergio Conceicao – 6.5/10

Conceicao did a pretty admirable job with his defensive organization for this game, smartly positioning his players to ensure that Inter didn’t get a lot of big chances. His defensive system worked perfectly for the majority of the game and forced a super goal from Mkhitaryan. His side, however, wasn’t clinical or that explosive in the attacking sense.

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Inter Milan Player Ratings

GK – Josep Martinez – 6/10

Martinez was pretty agile in his goal, making some stellar reflex saves to frustrate his opposition players. His positioning for Abraham’s goal, however, was a bit questionable.

RCB – Yann Aurel Bisseck – 7/10

The German centre-back was really proactive at the backline, matching the AC Milan forwards’ pace to come up with many clutch challenges. Won the majority of his duels and moved the ball around nicely.

CB – Stefan de Vrij – 6/10

De Vrij was focused on maintaining a tight defensive shape for his side. He commanded over a pretty agile defensive line, but did move out of position for the Abraham goal.

LCB – Alessandro Bastoni – 6.5/10

The 25-year-old worked hard to stop the Rossoneri from creating much down his left side. He not only passed the ball around sharply but also made some vital challenges to help his side stay strong against the attacking flow.

RWB – Matteo Darmian – 5/10

Darmian had troubles dealing with the pace and agility of Leao, often needing his teammates’ help to stop him. Couldn’t really create much and not the most convincing defensively.

CM – Nicolo Barella – 7.5/10

Barella was a tenacious figure for Inter in the midfield, working his socks off and fighting hard to maintain control. He won six duels, constantly regaining the ball and moving it forward. Came close to scoring with a stellar shot in the second half.

CM – Hakan Calhanoglu – 8/10

Calhanoglu came back to haunt his former team spectacularly. He came close to scoring with a powerful first half free-kick before blasting a blistering shot past Maignan in the second. Passed the ball smoothly and worked hard defensively too.

CM – Davide Frattesi – 4.5/10

Frattesi had a huge chance to score the opener late in the first half, but failed to convert from close range. Hardly able to get into the game, losing most of his duels and adding no creative threat.

LWB – Carlos Augusto – 6/10

The Brazilian wing-back was quite proactive on the left, winning quite a few nice duels. However, he failed to add something special with his crosses before being taken off.

CF – Joaquin Correa – 7/10

Correa was a menacing figure with his clever movement and off-the-ball runs, getting into smart areas to help his side. He picked out Calhanoglu smartly for his equalizer.

CF – Marcus Thuram – 4/10

Thuram had a pretty forgettable derby against AC Milan. He failed to get at the end of any chances and his final delivery was pretty underwhelming too.

SUB – Benjamin Pavard – 6/10

Added more vigilance to Inter’s backline after coming on, ensuring that they didn’t concede late on.

SUB – Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6.5/10

The experienced midfielder moved the ball forward smartly and took part in the counter-attacks, having a late shot tipped over the bar.

SUB – Nicola Zalewski – 6.5/10

Zalewski dragged the ball forward into the right areas to help open things up in the final third. Played a nice role before the equalizer.

SUB – Francesco Acerbi – N/R

Helped his side see out the draw.

SUB – Thomas Berenbruch – N/R

Manager – Simone Inzaghi – 7/10

Inzaghi played a pretty strong lineup for this important cup game, but saw his side miss that special final spark in a creative sense. His substitutions, however, did the trick as it opened up more space for Calhanoglu to come score that powerful strike and his side dominated the possesion pretty well too.

Sportsdunia’s Man of the Match for this game goes to Hakan Calhanoglu.

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