Luka Modric: 'Milan's victory embodies the spirit of Sergio Ramos'

Luka Modric believes AC Milan demonstrated "a bit of Sergio Ramos' spirit" in their win at the Derby della Madonnina versus Inter Milan.

Rossoneri entered the match facing significant challenges, particularly trailing the league leaders by 10 points in their final opportunity to keep their championship hopes alive. An unexpected hero secured a 1-0 victory at San Siro, when Estupiñán, who had never scored for Milan before, sprinted to meet Youssouf Fofana's through pass and struck a shot past Yann Sommer into the top corner of the net.

This victory means Milan has won both derbies this season, while Inter remains unbeaten in Serie A since their previous encounter on November 23rd, a match that also ended 1-0.

Modric shared after the match: "We always believed, but we must continue progressing step by step. It was a tremendous effort. We played brilliantly in the first half; Inter responded strongly after the break because they are a very powerful team, but they hardly created any significant opportunities against us. That shows we defended well and were very organized. Milan deserved the win."

The gap in the Serie A standings remains 7 points, but this victory helps Rossoneri maintain hope of catching their city rivals in the remaining 10 rounds. Inter managed to score in stoppage time, but the referee whistled to stop the play before the corner situation occurred.

Modric explained: "I'm not sure what happened, but the referee whistled earlier. When the play is stopped, a goal cannot be awarded, so it wasn't even a denied goal."

Modric revealed he invited 60 relatives and friends to watch the match, including his former Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos, who was seen in the stands at San Siro. When asked about rumors in Spain that Allegri might coach Real Madrid next season, Modric replied: "Real Madrid always has many rumors, but I don't pay attention to such matters. I am very happy at Milan.

I was also very pleased to see Sergio again. Yesterday he messaged saying he really wanted to experience this match. His presence here and our victory made everything even more wonderful. Today we had a bit of Sergio Ramos spirit."