English striker Tammy Abraham found the back of the net for AC Milan, but city rivals Inter Milan responded quickly to ensure the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final ended in a 1-1 draw. The former Chelsea forward broke the deadlock early in the second half, blasting a right-footed shot across goalkeeper Josep Martinez into the bottom corner.
However, Inter leveled the score midway through the second period, with Hakan Calhanoglu scoring against his former club. The Turkish midfielder fired a powerful low drive from 25 yards past Milan’s goalkeeper Mike Maignan to make it 1-1.
The second leg of the semi-final is set for 23 April, with the winner advancing to face either Bologna or Empoli in the final on 14 May. This match marked the fourth Milan derby of the 2024-25 season, and despite Inter’s commanding 20-point lead over Milan in Serie A, they have yet to secure a win in any of the derby encounters so far.
Maignan was the busier of the two goalkeepers in the first half, making crucial saves to deny Inter’s Joaquin Correa, Calhanoglu, and Davide Frattesi. Abraham also played his part defensively, heading away a goalbound header from Inter’s Stefan de Vrij to keep Milan’s goal intact.
In the second half, Maignan was called into action again, this time denying Inter substitute Nicola Zalewski from close range as the Nerazzurri pushed for a winner following Calhanoglu’s equalizer. At the other end, Milan’s Rafael Leao came close to a late winner, curling a shot just wide from the edge of the box, but the match ended all square ahead of the decisive second leg.
