“San Siro Held Its Breath”: Italian Media Assess Mkhitaryan’s Performance in the Derby

On March 8, the Milan derby between Milan and Inter took place. The match ended with a narrow 1–0 victory for the Rossoneri. The only goal was scored in the 35th minute by Pervis Estupiñán after a precise pass from Youssouf Fofana.

Inter’s Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan spent 59 minutes on the pitch and was involved in several key moments of the match. However, the main episode involving him was a missed chance in the first half, which greatly influenced the ratings given by the Italian press.

Mkhitaryan’s Missed Chance

In the 33rd minute, Mkhitaryan made an impressive run through the center of the field. The midfielder dribbled past several opponents and found himself one-on-one with Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan. However, the Armenian shot straight down the middle, and the goalkeeper confidently saved it.

Just a minute later, Milan organized a successful counterattack: Estupiñán opened the scoring with an accurate strike.

Later, Inter had another dangerous moment involving Mkhitaryan. He passed to Federico Dimarco, but the defender shot over the bar from a good position.

How Italian Media Rated Mkhitaryan’s Performance

Italian sports outlets assessed the Armenian midfielder’s performance differently, but most agreed that the key moment was the missed opportunity in the first half.

Calciomercato — 6

“Just after half an hour of play he makes San Siro hold its breath: he starts an attack from the halfway line in a three-against-two situation, pretends to pass to the right, then to the left, but goes himself and ends up in front of Maignan. However, at the decisive moment he shoots straight at him. A minute later Milan takes the lead. A missed goal… He tries to make up for it with an excellent pass to Dimarco, but his teammate does not use the gift.”

Sport.virgilio.it — 5.5

“He contributes to building attacks with quality, but his performance is heavily affected by the missed chance against Mike Maignan, who did an excellent job narrowing the angle and saving his team.”

Tuttomercatoweb — 5

“It seems he himself cannot believe that Milan’s defense parted before him like the waters before Moses. But the ball he sends straight to Maignan in the 33rd minute proves too heavy.”

FcInterNews — 5.5

“For the Armenian, who already has many derbies in his career and three goals in such matches, this could be one of the last Milan derbies. He starts in the lineup and engages in a physical battle with Fofana.”

90min — 5.5

“Among Inter’s midfielders in the first half he is the one who most often tries to move forward into depth, but he misses a great chance after an individual run.”

Leggo — 6

“He closes spaces, links up play, and finishes attacks without stopping his running. After a run of about 40 meters with the ball he shoots straight at Maignan in a moment that could have been a goal.”

Il Giornale — 6.5

“Experience always matters when the ball weighs a ton. The Armenian provides both quality and work rate. He is a bit unlucky in several episodes but leaves the field having given everything. Definitely an above-average performance.”

L’Interista — 5

“Estupiñán launches a rocket under the crossbar, while the Armenian places the ball with the inside of his foot straight into Maignan’s body. Moreover, he loses quite a few balls, while Fofana without the ball does whatever he wants. A match best forgotten.”

Sportal — 5

“He struggles to find free spaces and is almost never truly dangerous between the lines.”

PassioneInter — 5.5

“He helps well in building attacks. In the 33rd minute he gets the best chance of the first half but seems hypnotized by Maignan.”

FCInter1908 — 5

“He misses an unacceptable goal. Practically at the penalty spot, alone in front of Maignan, he literally passes the ball to the goalkeeper. Even in the defensive phase he fails to be truly effective when Milan accelerates.”

Mkhitaryan’s Match Statistics

Despite mixed ratings, the statistics show that the Armenian midfielder was actively involved in Inter’s play.

• Shots: 1 (xG — 0.63)

• Key passes: 1

• Big chances created: 1

• Expected assists (xA): 0.19

• Accurate passes: 41 (91%)

• Possession losses: 6

• Progressive dribbles: 9

• Tackles: 1

• Ball recoveries: 3

• Duels: 1 out of 3

Rating from the analytical portal SofaScore — 6.6.

Overall, the Italian press agreed that Henrikh Mkhitaryan played a fairly active match, but his performance was largely overshadowed by the missed one-on-one chance against Mike Maignan. According to many journalists, that moment became one of the key episodes of the derby.

As a result, most outlets rated the Armenian midfielder between 5 and 6 points, although some sources highlighted his experience, work rate, and contribution to Inter’s attacking build-up.