"Let's go, lads!"
Inter Milan's captain, Javier Zanetti, roared to boost team morale.
As the veteran captain and spiritual leader of Inter Milan, Zanetti's status in the club was unquestionable.
AC Milan was their crosstown arch-rival—and a formidable opponent.
Historically, Inter Milan had rarely come out on top.
But one must always look forward. Moreover, Inter had once again strengthened their squad this season—signings like Figo and Samuel had added serious firepower to their lineup.
"Captain, watch out for Suker!" Samuel said sternly. "He's really fast!"
Zanetti replied confidently, "I'm fast too!"
"No! He's much faster than you."
Samuel didn't want to contradict Zanetti, but he felt it necessary to emphasize that Suk was a player AC Milan couldn't afford to overlook.
Having faced Suker back when he was still at Real Madrid in last season's Champions League, Samuel knew full well what he was capable of.
Players took their positions on the field.
AC Milan had kickoff. Suker stood at the center circle alongside Shevchenko.
"Hit them hard from the start?"
Shevchenko turned to ask.
Suker shook his head. "Let's test the waters first."
Had it been another team, Suker might have gone for an aggressive opening push.
But this Inter Milan side—championship-less as they were—was stacked with talent.
Adriano, Figo, Cambiasso, Zanetti...
All of them were lethal on the counterattack. One slip-up, and AC Milan might not have enough speed to track back in time.
The crowd's cheers grew louder.
The referee stepped out of the center circle, signaling that the match was about to begin.
BEEP!
The whistle blew.
Shevchenko immediately kicked off.
Suker received the ball and passed it back.
Then he moved to the left half-space and glanced behind him.
Not far away, Stanković was watching him like a hawk.
The Serbian's eyes were anything but friendly.
BANG!
Suker's first touch sparked an intense physical confrontation with Stanković.
Suker lowered his body and braced himself. His opponent pressed tightly against him.
Stanković even extended an arm to press down on Suk's back, trying to push him over.
But Suker suddenly dropped his stance.
Using his body as a pivot and leaning into Stanković, he swept the ball to the left with a swift scissor-kick motion.
"Suker turns!"
Commentator Aldo Serena shouted—but Stanković stuck a foot out. Suker was tripped and fell hard to the ground.
WHISTLE!
The referee blew his whistle.
Stanković casually retreated.
Suker turned and glanced at him, saying nothing.
He moved forward again, now flanking Zanetti's side.
Pirlo stepped up to take the free kick.
THUMP!!
Pirlo sent the ball wide right.
Rui Costa leapt and took it down with his right foot.
By the time Rui Costa landed, Inter's defense was already fully in position.
Seeing this, Suker immediately sprinted toward the center.
"Seedorf, hold my spot!"
Suker called out before running into position to receive the ball.
"Costa!"
Rui Costa heard the call and passed diagonally behind.
Stanković came charging again.
Suker returned the pass with a single touch and thrust forward with power.
Stanković wasn't ready and was knocked over by Suker.
WHISTLE!!!
Another whistle.
Suker shrugged innocently.
The referee rushed over.
"You two—watch the contact."
From the start, Suker and Stanković had been locked in a scrappy duel, and things were heating up.
The referee felt compelled to issue a verbal warning.
Suker nodded that he understood.
Stanković, however, didn't look as calm.
Now he had the referee's eyes on him.
For a defensive player, being singled out meant his next foul could earn him a card.
He glared at Suker.
"This little brat did that on purpose!"
Inter quickly restarted the free kick.
Figo received the ball upfield and tried to break through on the wing but failed, then passed it centrally to Cambiasso.
Cambiasso quickly sent it forward to Adriano.
But just as Adriano got the ball, Nesta closed in.
Simultaneously, Jankulovski drifted in from the flank.
Adriano had no room to turn and immediately passed back.
SWISH!
Just as the ball reached Verón, Gattuso flew in with a brutal slide tackle and knocked the ball to Suker up front.
"Gattuso! Hell yeah!"
Suker shouted and spun around with barely a pause—he played a through ball immediately.
It sliced between the two center-backs like lightning.
"Damn it!"
Samuel tried to intercept but was a step short.
At that moment, Shevchenko was already sprinting toward the ball's landing spot. If he got to it, Inter would be in big trouble.
"Cordoba!"
Samuel called to his partner.
Cordoba stuck to Shevchenko like glue. Just before Shevchenko reached the penalty area, Cordoba yanked him down.
WHISTLE!!!!
Another foul.
In less than 10 minutes, there had been three physical fouls already.
The referee ran over and showed Cordoba a yellow card.
Inter players protested, trying to get the decision reversed or to pressure the ref, swarming around him.
"Pirlo!"
Suker waved over Pirlo to take the free kick.
It was in a prime location.
"AC Milan's counter is still razor-sharp—Gattuso's tackle to Suker!"
"Suker with the quick spin and through ball!"
"They pierced Inter's defense right down the spine!"
"But Cordoba made a decisive tactical foul to stop Shevchenko's run!"
Pirlo stepped up to take the kick near the penalty arc. With his incredible set-piece skills, a direct shot on goal was entirely possible.
Of course, Inter also had to be wary of aerial threats inside the box.
Pirlo paused, eyes fixed on goal.
WHISTLE!
He stepped into the kick.
"Pirlo! Let's see the quality of this one!"
Commentator Aldo Serena sounded excited.
The Inter crowd held its breath. Set-pieces aren't quite like penalties—they're harder to score from.
But this was Pirlo!
BANG!
Pirlo struck it.
The ball curled beautifully toward the near post.
It was a tricky angle!
Inter keeper Júlio César leapt, stretching fully—and got a palm to the ball!
"Win the ball!"
César shouted after the save.
The ball flew into the box, chaos erupting.
It bounced left.
Suker appeared there like lightning.
"Suker!!! This shot—"
He shot quickly.
But a leg came sliding across.
Zanetti blocked it just in time, the ball deflecting off his shin and going out for a corner.
"Zanetti!! A perfectly timed block—Inter's captain came to the rescue at the most critical moment!"
"AC Milan corner—they're not done attacking yet."
Suker exhaled and turned to rejoin the play.
Pirlo again took the corner.
This time, the ball went dangerously close to goal.
But César, reading it perfectly, jumped and caught it.
As he landed, he surged forward and threw the ball to Figo.
"Counterattack!!"
César roared.
Figo took the ball, spun, and sprinted.
After a couple of strides, he sent a pass forward.
Adriano curved his run and reached the ball. Nesta followed close.
There was only one center-back, Stam, in the box now.
No way was Nesta letting Adriano get by.
Adriano didn't hesitate. He faked with his body, then suddenly did a "rainbow flick," trying to go around the side.
Nesta didn't keep up—but he wasn't letting Adriano past either.
THUD!!!
Nesta collided into him hard and gave a shove, knocking him down just before he entered the box.
WHISTLE!!!
Another foul.
Nesta was shown a yellow card.
Both Milan clubs had mounted dangerous attacks—and both center-backs had picked up yellows!
"Fall back! Fall back!"
Nesta called to his teammates.
They quickly regrouped.
"Portugal's Figo to take the free kick—unlikely to shoot directly from this tight left-side angle!"
The commentator Aldo Serena figured Figo would cross it instead.
But as the whistle blew...
Figo struck it with a curling effort.
The ball bent toward the far post.
It actually looked dangerous.
"This ball..."
Aldo Serena gasped.
Whether it was Pirlo or Figo, their free kicks were top-notch.
AC Milan keeper Dida backpedaled, then leapt and barely got a hand to it.
The ball deflected right—right into Martins' path.
Martins held off Maldini and nudged it in with a soft touch.
The ball rolled into the net.
15 minutes into the first half, Figo's free kick had created a chance—and Inter capitalized.
Inter Milan 1 – 0 AC Milan
A rough start for AC Milan!