An image captured during the 2005 Champions League quarter‑final between AC Milan and Inter has become a lasting symbol of the fierce Milan derby rivalry. Photographer Stefano Rellandini, working for Reuters at the time, snapped a single frame showing Inter defender Marco Materazzi resting his elbow on the shoulder of Milan attacker Rui Costa as red smoke and flares engulfed the San Siro pitch.
The iconic image
"Everyone was focused on the flares, on the smoke," Rellandini recalls. "But near the centre of the pitch I saw a certain moment. Materazzi was nicknamed something like a butcher; he is not really a gentle player. Rui Costa was the opposite – more gentle, more artistic in his football. For several seconds Materazzi put his elbow on the shoulder of Rui Costa. So when I saw that, I shot it. I have just one frame in that sequence. That was the moment."
The abandoned match
The photograph also marks the end of a match abandoned after 73 minutes when flares and objects rained down from the Inter Curva Nord. One flare struck Milan goalkeeper Dida, causing first‑degree burns. The referee, Markus Merk, initially halted play for nearly half an hour before finally abandoning the fixture. UEFA later awarded the tie to Milan, who led 3‑0 on aggregate, and fined Inter £132,000 – the largest fine in UEFA history at the time – while ordering them to play four European games behind closed doors.
Context and aftermath
The tension had been building: Milan had eliminated Inter two years earlier on away goals, and Inter fans felt their club was running an unfair race against Milan and Juventus, who had won 11 of the previous 13 Serie A titles. The disallowed goal for Esteban Cambiasso sparked the chaos. Both managers, Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Mancini, condemned the violence. Milan went on to reach the 2005 final, losing to Liverpool in Istanbul, while Inter later dominated Serie A, winning four consecutive titles and a treble under José Mourinho in 2009‑10.
