AC Milan 1-1 Inter Milan in pre-season friendly at Optus Stadium

AC Milan and Inter Milan played out a 1-1 draw at Optus Stadium in Perth on August 5, 2026, in their second pre-season friendly ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. The match was tight and produced only two goals across 90 minutes.

Ruben Amorim led AC Milan into the friendly while Inter Milan were managed by Cristian Chivu, according to the match report. The source notes Inter entered the game as Serie A 2025-26 champions and that the encounter served as preparation for the forthcoming season. Both clubs created opportunities during the contest but scoring was limited to the single goals recorded by each side. The article emphasised that the fixture offered match minutes for several young players from both squads.

Inter broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute when Federico Dimarco finished after a sequence described in a social-media clip as "Lavelli ➡️ Barella ➡️ Dimarco 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vI9VprSi1d". The report states Dimarco was in the right place at the right time and that he will continue to play an important role on Inter’s left flank. Other than that goal, the Nerazzurri restricted clear chances for Milan for much of the second half.

AC Milan struggled to fashion chances in the final third, the report says, and lacked confidence in front of goal until late in the game. Christopher Nkunku converted a penalty in the 84th minute to level the scores for the Rossoneri, with the source describing the spot-kick as coming in the final moments of the match. Earlier in the game Milan had multiple openings but were not clinical enough to take the lead.

The match gave younger players from both clubs valuable playing time, the article observed, and several bookings were also shown during the derby. In the closing stages Yann Bisseck was taken off the field following a foul by AC Milan’s Pervis Estupiñán; the club is yet to confirm the seriousness of the issue, the report adds. The piece posed the question of whether Bisseck’s injury could be a setback for Inter ahead of the new season.

The report notes that Inter’s approach kept Milan under pressure and that, after finishing fifth last season, they are only eligible to compete in Europa League. It also stated that both clubs will need to address deficiencies identified in Perth ahead of competitive fixtures.

With the new season due to begin in less than a month, both sides will use the remaining pre-season period to work on finishing and other areas highlighted by the friendly in Perth.