San Siro will go and take a part of history with its rubble. It’s a sad page in football and its history, confirmed several days ago: yes, San Siro will indeed be destroyed. Officially the “Stadio Giuseppe Meazza” was known by all as San Siro. And if you have been following football, even European football for some time, you will always remember the electrifying atmospheres during competition nights. Built with the same name as the neighborhood that hosted it, San Siro will disappear, a hundred years after its opening, in 2026, once the opening ceremony of the Olympics has taken place there.
And as we mentioned a little earlier, San Siro is a historic site in international, European, and especially Italian football. The greatest goal scorers in the world have surely left their mark there. Melancholy will quickly creep into the hearts of Tifosi, and we will not help matters. Some matches, whether involving AC Milan or not, have set the rhythm of the sport and permanently plunged this stadium into legend. Flashback.
September 26, 1926, the first derby
History will remember, sadly for the Rossoneri, that it was Inter who won (6-3) during the first derby played at San Siro.
April 23, 2003, the beginning of a fantastic saga
Undoubtedly one of the finest eras of your club. If you were born in the 1990s, it is likely at this very moment that you fell in love and your heart turned Rossoneri. After facing Ajax a week earlier (0-0), the greatest Milanese club welcomed the Dutch team for this Champions League quarter-final second leg. And when Pienaar scored the goal to make it 2-2 in the 78th minute, the scenario turned into a nightmare. But the stadium became a cauldron and would eventually erupt, twelve minutes later, when Tomasson pushed Inzaghi’s chipped shot (on target) into the back of the net. The Lombards offered their fans and the world emotions that could only be experienced on a sports field.
May 13, 2003, a place in the final
The ultimate duel for a place in the Champions League final. After a goalless draw in the first leg, officially played at home by the Rossoneri, a goal was needed to reach Old Trafford and play the final of the Champions League. This was achieved just before halftime (45th minute). In an electrifying atmosphere, Shevchenko silenced the packed stands of Giuseppe Meazza by outmaneuvering Cordoba and leaving Toldo with no chance. Martins’ equalizer changed nothing; thanks to the away goal, AC Milan secured their ticket to the final in Manchester and won, a few weeks later, their sixth Champions League.
This match will remain in the annals for its intensity, suspense, and the consecration that followed.
October 28, 2006, heartbreaking memory
We will not dwell on it, as the Rossoneri memory is still delicate. But this derby (3-4) will remain one of the most beautiful ever played at San Siro.
PHOTO by dimitrivetsikas1969, Pixabay License
Caption: Between authenticity and modernity…
May 28, 2016, another derby at San Siro
While the pitch has hosted a total of 219 derbies della Madonnina, in 2016, it hosted a Madrid derby as the Champions League final. The scenario was unbearable. It was at the break of dawn that Zinedine Zidane’s protégés triumphed on penalties against Atlético Madrid. Carrasco’s equalizer in the 79th minute (1-1) forced both teams into extra time, but when it came time to secure a new title for the Merengues, Ronaldo didn’t falter and shot past Oblak, reminding the Colchoneros of their defeat two years earlier at the same stage of the competition, once again facing their Madrid rivals.
May 11, 2011, the humiliation
An away derby that day, a memorable derby eternally. Words are always too much; the memories should remain, and there’s no need to be verbose. A 6-0 victory against the Interistas, on their field…
And you, what are your most beautiful memories?
