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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Nicky Bandini

Rafael Leão surfs crest of a wave with derby double and an assist for Milan

Rafael Leão celebrates with a surfing pose after scoring his side’s third goal and his second against Internazionale. He said of surfers: ‘When they mess up a wave, they get back on the board and they get better.’
Rafael Leão celebrates with a surfing pose after scoring his side’s third goal and his second against Internazionale. He said of surfers: ‘When they mess up a wave, they get back on the board and they get better.’ Photograph: Daniele Mascolo/Reuters

Rafael Leão signed off, as he so often does, with his favourite emoji, the little man riding a surfboard. He had given no interviews after Milan’s game against Internazionale so we had to make do with a two-word social media post, less a comment than a vibe: “Derby Waves.”

Perhaps that was a perfect synopsis of a game of relentless, roiling drama. An evening when two halves of a city took turns to ride the crests and then tumble back beneath the water, swept along by irresistible tides that would not allow anyone to stop for breath.

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