The All-Around Center Forward

"The match has begun! This is the second Milan Derby of the season! In the first leg, Inter Milan defeated AC Milan 1–0. Now, back on their home turf, can AC Milan, bolstered by Suker, claim victory?"

Aldo Serena's voice was full of anticipation.

Matches between Inter and AC Milan have always been marquee events in Serie A.But with Mourinho publicly going after Suker before the match, the stakes now felt even higher.Would Suker silence Mourinho, or would Mourinho's tactics neutralize Suker?

On the field, Suker began his run forward.

His pace was unhurried, interspersed with careful observation.Inter's defense took on a fan-shaped formation, with calculated spacing between players—close enough to quickly collapse on threats.

To both sides of Suker loomed Cambiasso and Zanetti, ready to pounce.

A closer look revealed this was the same tactic AC Milan once used against Barcelona, when Ancelotti deployed Gattuso and Pirlo to limit Messi's influence.

Now, Mourinho was using Zanetti and Cambiasso, leveraging coordinated team movements to box in Suker.

Suker dropped back with his back to goal.Zanetti followed like a shadow.Kaká passed him the ball—Zanetti instantly made a move.

But Suker calmly returned the ball with a soft pass, feeding it back.Pirlo picked it up to reorganize the play.

On the flank, Kaká made repeated runs forward, trying to pull the fullbacks out of position to free space for Suker.

But Inter's fullbacks—Srna and Maicon—were fast, quick to turn and recover.

And once the ball moved to the flanks, Inter's defensive line immediately shifted toward the danger zone without disrupting formation.

This was Mourinho's system—like a single living organism.

"Pirlo can't find an outlet. Suker's starting to drop deeper to receive," the commentator noted.

But the moment Suker came back for the ball, Zanetti and Cambiasso hounded him.With no room to turn, Suker attempted to dribble laterally, hoping to open up a lane.

Cambiasso stuck with him, grabbing and tugging subtly—anything to disrupt Suker's flow.

After a few failed attempts to shake free, Suker gave up the ball again.

On Inter's bench, Mourinho saw Suker's back pass and smirked.

The tactics were working.

To neutralize Suker, he didn't need man-marking—just zone control and space denial, supported by a fast-formed enclosure.

Milan was still relying on Ancelotti-style tactics.Mourinho looked smug.

This match is in the bag, he thought.

On the other bench, AC Milan coach Tassotti looked uneasy.

"You think this tactic will work?"

"Suker said it will," Tassotti replied casually, still focused on the field.

Costacurta raised an eyebrow: "You take his word just like that? You're the head coach."

Tassotti waved dismissively: "Doesn't matter who's in charge. If it wins us games, I'll listen to anyone."

He sighed, "I can't stand the Portuguese guy either. But damn, he's good. If the old boss were still here, I wouldn't be so stressed. Now, we have to take the risk."

Before the match, Tassotti had discussed tactics with Suker and Ambrosini.

Ambrosini didn't say much.But Suker offered deep insights.

Tassotti admitted—Suker's analysis opened his eyes.

He saw the way to beat Inter.

Suker had been instrumental in Milan's rise to third place in Serie A, just 5 points behind Inter and 2 behind Juventus.

A win here could shake up the standings—and maybe, just maybe, reopen the title race.

This was the value of Suker's return.

And he had already proven himself in past matches—like against Ajax, and now again today.

Back on the field, under the watch of tens of thousands of fans, Suker jogged calmly in the attacking third.

A ball deflected off Chivu landed at Cambiasso's feet.

He tried to launch a counterattack, but Milan's players had already sprinted back—covering most of the pitch by the time Cambiasso looked up.

"Damn it," he cursed, frustrated by Milan's faster transition.

"The tempo doesn't look fast," commented Aldo Serena, "but every pass hides danger."

No wild end-to-end attacks.No lightning-fast breaks.Yet the tension was electric.

Every look upfield could trigger an assault.Every pass carried threat.

In this deadlock, both teams ran tirelessly, trading possession in midfield.

Mourinho squinted at the field.They had controlled the pace.They were built for this kind of game.Milan hadn't even made any reckless moves.

But still—something felt off.

That uneasy feeling?Suker.

Mourinho pursed his lips, debating whether to assign Zanetti to man-mark him.

Suddenly—Gattuso charged in from the side, sliding in and winning the ball off Adriano.The Brazilian had tried to shield the ball, but failed.

Years ago, he might have held it.Not now.

Ball recovered.

Pirlo took the pass and surged forward.

Cambiasso froze—he recognized the motion.

"Watch your back!" he shouted.

But he was a fraction late.

Pirlo's through ball flew across midfield—soaring high and deep.

Inter defender Rivas sprinted to cover the landing zone.

But soon, he heard rapid footsteps behind.

A blur in white flashed past him.

Wearing Milan's white away jersey—Suker beat him to the ball.

Behind and to his side were Zanetti and Rivas, trying to close in.

But Suker's planted foot locked into the turf, and as the ball dropped—he blasted a volley without taking a touch.

WHOOSH!

The shot flew just over the keeper's gloves, slamming into the net.

19th minute — AC Milan 1:0 Inter Milan

"GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"SUKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"He didn't even take a touch! A first-time volley straight into the near post—perfectly struck! The keeper reacted, but still couldn't stop it!"

"This is the 'ordinary' striker Mourinho dismissed!"

"That's Suker's 10th game since returning from injury," the commentator continued, "and he's already scored 14 goals."

"Despite missing the first half of the season, he's now third in the Serie A scoring chart."

"This is AC Milan's terrifying forward line. Can Mourinho really stop it?"

Cameras turned to Suker as he soaked in the adoration of the fans.

His teammates quickly rushed over to celebrate.

"You're insane!" Pato laughed.

"That shot made zero sense!"

A first-time volley into a sharp angle—Inter keeper Julio César had no chance.

For AC Milan, drawing first blood was massive.

But they weren't done.

They wanted to end the match by halftime.