It was the 77th minute and the match was still 0-0. Fanna played in a free kick from the left and Mandorlini headed it against the post. It wasn’t bad luck, it was an opportunity. Giuseppe pounced on the loose ball and turned it in with the confidence of someone who had played the scene over in his head so many times that he could do it again with his eyes shut. It was the winner. Inter beat Nils Liedholm’s Milan 1-0 but above all it was Berlusconi’s Milan considering that it was the first match of his presidency. Left celebrating was the youngster born in Mazara del Vallo who grew up with Inter in his heart.
You won’t believe it but I always thought of scoring my first Serie A goal in the derby since I was a child.
Sometimes, fate sends cryptic messages that are hard to read but not that day. Rummenigge was injured in the warm-up and Corso replaced him with Luciano Marangon who then hurt his hand at the end of the first half. Therefore, the Coach called on Giuseppe and the message was clear, it’s your day so show you’re worth it. He was a Sicilian lad of 19 years, he developed at Inter but had never played in Serie A before that derby. He was of slight build and was still immature, but he was able to cover all roles in midfield and he had a particular skill for getting on the end of passes with his off-the-ball runs. Corso knew it well. He’d coached the Nerazzurri’s Primavera and perhaps what happened from then on the pitch was no surprise for him.
To make your debut in a derby at San Siro is a unique feeling but to then go and win it is difficult to put into words. It would have been hard for the young Giuseppe Minaudo to even imagine such a thing at half-time in AC Milan vs. Inter on 6th April 1986 when Mariolino Corso who had replaced Castagner on the bench in November told him that he was going on for the second half.
