AC Milan and Inter Milan played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final at the San Siro. Tammy Abraham gave Milan the lead before Hakan Calhanoglu’s stunning long-range strike leveled the scores.

Mike Maignan was Milan’s standout performer, making crucial saves to keep his side in the game. The French goalkeeper denied Calhanoglu and Nicolo Barella with excellent stops. Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders also impressed in midfield for the Rossoneri.

For Inter, Calhanoglu was the star of the show. The Turkish midfielder controlled the game from deep and capped his performance with a trademark thunderbolt from 25 yards to equalize. Barella was also influential in midfield for the Nerazzurri.

Milan coach Sergio Conceicao will be pleased with his team’s positive start, continuing their improved form from recent matches. However, they were up against the Serie A leaders who proved difficult to break down.

Inter boss Simone Inzaghi will be satisfied to come away with a draw, given his side’s busy schedule and injury concerns. The Nerazzurri looked in control after equalizing and maintained their record of scoring in 15 consecutive Milan derbies.

The tie remains finely poised heading into the second leg at San Siro later this month. Both sides will feel they have a good chance of progressing to the Coppa Italia final.