Luka Modric believes Milan had ‘some Sergio Ramos spirit’ in their Derby della Madonnina victory over Inter today, while Pervis Estupinan admits it was ‘the most important goal of my life.’
The odds were against the Rossoneri, who also felt the most pressure knowing they were 10 points behind the leaders going into this last chance to keep the title race open.
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It was an unexpected hero who secured the 1-0 victory at San Siro, as Estupinan had never scored in the Rossoneri jersey before, but he ran onto the Youssouf Fofana through ball to surprise Yann Sommer at the near top corner.
Estupinan and Modric dreaming big for Milan
MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 08: Pervis Estupinan of AC Milan celebrates after scoring their team’s team’s first goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Inter at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
“It is the most important goal of my life, really,” Estupinan told DAZN Italia.
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“This is thanks to all the hard work we did, we worked all week so hard, we had the right approach and we got the victory.”
Max Allegri told Estupinan to run at Luis Henrique, who got the timing and positioning all wrong when defending.
“Yes, as I said, we worked on this and the coach told me to attack that channel. I found the right moment to make the run and scored the goal.”
MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 08: Pervis Estupinan of AC Milan scores their team’s first goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Inter at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
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This means Milan have won both editions of the Derby della Madonnina this season, as Inter had been unbeaten in Serie A since the last encounter on November 23, which also ended 1-0.
“We always believed, but we must keep taking it one game at a time,” Modric told DAZN Italia.
“It was an enormous effort, a great performance in the first half, Inter fought back after the restart, because they are a strong side, but they still created practically nothing against us.
“That shows how well we defended and were so organised, we deserved the victory.”
MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 08: Pervis Estupinan of AC Milan celebrates celebrates with his team-mates Adrien Rabiot and Youssouf Fofana after scoring their team’s team’s first goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Inter at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
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The gap at the top of the Serie A table remains extensive at seven points, but it does at least give the Rossoneri some hope of catching their bitter city rivals in the remaining 10 rounds.
Inter protested in stoppages when they had the ball in the net, but the referee had stopped play on the corner.
“I don’t know what happened, but the referee blew the whistle beforehand, so it cannot be a goal if play was stopped. It isn’t even disallowed,” explained Modric.
Modric invited 60 friends and family to the match tonight, including his old Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos, who was spotted in the stands at San Siro.
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Considering his presence, what do they make of the rumours in Spain that Allegri could be lined up for Real Madrid next season?
“There are always rumours around Real Madrid, but I don’t get involved in these things. I am very happy at Milan, I am so happy to see Sergio, he wrote yesterday and said he really wanted to experience this match. To have him here and with a victory too, that’s even better! We had a bit of Sergio Ramos spirit today,” concluded Modric.
