Christopher Nkunku rescues AC Milan as Inter Milan held in Perth derby

By SABC Sport
6th August 2026

Christopher Nkunku scored a late penalty to earn AC Milan a 1-1 draw with Serie A champions Inter Milan in front of more than 52,000 fans during a pre-season friendly in Perth on Wednesday.

Inter looked set to claim derby bragging rights after Federico Dimarco fired home from close range in the 52nd minute, but Nkunku rescued Milan seven minutes from time after he was fouled by Carlos Augusto inside the penalty area.

The French forward calmly converted from the spot to level the scores.

The result means new AC Milan coach Ruben Amorim is still waiting for his first victory. His side also drew 2-2 with Celtic in Glasgow in his first match since taking charge.

Amorim, who was dismissed by Manchester United in January, has been brought in to revive Milan after the club failed to qualify for this season's Champions League. While his team showed determination to fight back, they were fortunate to avoid defeat after making several defensive mistakes.

One positive for Milan was the return of veteran midfielder Luka Modric, who played the final 30 minutes after recently signing a one-year contract extension with the club.

"It was nice to get some minutes under the belt and I felt good," Modric said.

"It's good to have these kinds of games to prepare for the season.

"I think we did a lot of good things and hopefully we can just improve."

The match also carried extra emotion as it was Milan's first since the death of club legend Franco Baresi. Players from both teams linked arms during a minute's silence before kick-off in tribute to the former captain.

Milan started brightly, with teenager Alphadjo Cisse and Samuel Chukwueze causing problems for the Inter defence. Yunus Musah came closest to opening the scoring in the 18th minute, but his powerful effort struck the left post.

Inter gradually took control before the break and found the breakthrough early in the second half. Dimarco took advantage of hesitant Milan defending to give the Serie A champions the lead.

Modric received a standing ovation when he came on in the 62nd minute, but Milan continued to struggle until Nkunku won and converted the late penalty to ensure the derby ended level.

AC Milan continue their pre-season campaign against Chelsea in Jakarta on Saturday, while Inter remain in Perth to face Juventus after beating Manchester City on penalties in Hong Kong last weekend.