The Story Behind the Classic Image of Marco Materazzi and Rui Costa in Italian Football
The image of Marco Materazzi standing next to Rui Costa against a burning background has become a classic in Italian football. Many people wonder about the story behind the photo and why it was taken. To understand this, we need to go back to the past and explore the events that led to this moment.
During the 2004–05 season of the UEFA Champions League, the first thing that comes to mind is likely the miraculous comeback of Liverpool, who managed to overturn a 3–0 deficit against AC Milan to draw 3–3 and win on penalties.
However, there was another intriguing story that season. In the quarterfinals, AC Milan were drawn to face their city rivals Inter Milan. It is not often that these two teams meet in European competitions.
The city of Milan is renowned for its iconic landmark, the Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano), which features a statue of the Virgin Mary atop the structure.
The Virgin Mary, who is revered as the mother of Jesus, holds great significance in the Christian faith, and is commonly referred to as Madonna — a term that means “My Lady” in Italian. The statue of the Virgin Mary on the cathedral is specifically known as The Madonnina.
As a result, the matchup between Inter Milan and AC Milan is referred to as the “Derby Madonnina.”
During the 2004–05 Champions League season, as the final 8 teams were decided, Inter Milan were full of confidence as they had a strong team with numerous star players such as Adriano, Christian Vieri, Alvaro Recoba, Javier Zanetti, Marco Materazzi, Juan Veron, and others. They were determined to win the European Championship.
Meanwhile, AC Milan had an equally complete squad featuring Andriy Shevchenko, Hernan Crespo, Kaka, Paolo Maldini, Andrea Pirlo, among others, and had an advantage over Inter in terms of experience. AC Milan had just won the European Championship in 2003, and thus had a clear understanding of the demands of a knockout game.
On April 6, 2005, in the first leg of their match, AC Milan hosted Inter Milan. Despite being the home team, AC Milan did not dominate the game and it was a closely contested match. However, Andrea Pirlo’s set pieces proved to be the difference as Milan scored two headers from Jaap Stam and Andriy Shevchenko, earning them a 2–0 victory.
In the second leg on April 12, 2005, Inter still had a chance to turn things around as they trailed by only two goals. However, they were left frustrated by the decisions of the German referee Markus Merk, who did not award them any favorable calls.
The game between Inter Milan and AC Milan on April 12, 2005, saw early controversy when Milan’s Andrei Shevchenko headbutted Marco Materazzi, which was missed by referee Merk. Had VAR existed at the time, Shevchenko would have been sent off.
Shevchenko went on to score in the 30th minute, giving Milan a 1–0 lead and an away goal, leaving Inter with the daunting task of scoring four goals to qualify.
AC Milan’s strong defensive line-up of Dida-Maldini-Nesta-Stam-Cafu made it difficult for Inter to score even one goal.
Despite Inter’s admirable efforts, including several penalty appeals that were denied by the referee, his decisions left Inter fans feeling frustrated and disappointed.
The fans of Inter Milan had to endure a frustrating game and remain patient until the 71st minute, when Esteban Cambiasso scored a goal with a header. However, the referee, Markus Merk, disallowed the goal, claiming that Inter players had committed a foul.
Upon review of the footage, it is unclear where the foul occurred, and the decision was controversial. If VAR technology had been available at that time, the goal would have likely stood.
The repeated poor decisions made by the referee during the game led to Inter’s hardcore fans throwing fireworks and hitting AC Milan’s goalkeeper, Dida, causing him to be replaced due to injury. Christian Abbiati came on as his substitute.
During the match, referee Markus Merk had to pause the game for 10 minutes to allow the field officials to remove fireworks from the pitch, in order to resume play. However, only one minute after the game restarted, Inter fans continued to throw hundreds of fireworks, causing the stadium to catch on fire.
This forced another stoppage of play, with both teams standing and waiting until the situation was resolved. The game resumed again, but only for a short time, as there was less than 20 minutes left in the match.
The scene captured in the image of Marco Materazzi and Rui Costa watching the fireworks is a true representation of what occurred during the match.
The passion and intensity of football fans were evident in their action of throwing flares onto the pitch until the stadium was ablaze.
Interestingly, the relationship between the Inter and AC Milan players is amicable, despite being fierce competitors. Many players have transferred between both clubs in the past, and some executives have negotiated deals between the two teams.
However, football fans do not share such camaraderie, as they are direct competitors. The frustration of losing to a rival like AC Milan, compounded by the referee’s decision to disallow a goal, was enough to trigger Inter fans, who resorted to throwing fireworks onto the pitch.
The referee, Markus Merk, deemed it unsafe to continue the game and made the decision to end it, allowing the players to walk back to the dressing room. The match was concluded with a score of 1–0.
Subsequently, UEFA imposed a fine of 192,180 euros on Inter and penalized 3–0 loss, resulting in a 5–0 loss on aggregate, and ordered them to play four games without spectators in Europe.
Additionally, there is a possibility that Inter will have to play two more matches in empty stadiums over the next three years (2005–2008) if such incidents occur again.
UEFA has explained that the four-match ban on home fans was a significant financial penalty, the heaviest fine ever imposed by UEFA in the UEFA Champions League. Inter Milan lost approximately 8 million euros in four games.
While the safety concerns were valid, UEFA was also at fault. The club invested millions of euros only to be judged by a referee who made questionable calls. The headbutt was unseen, and the goal was clear, so how were football fans supposed to tolerate this? UEFA needs to assist in the development of better refereeing if they want to prevent football fans from becoming angry.
Since then, the San Siro has implemented strict rules forbidding flares from being brought into the stadium, but some fans still manage to sneak them in, and periodic fireworks continue to occur.
However, throwing fireworks onto the pitch has not happened again, as fans have seen the club lose a significant amount of revenue and don’t want to cause the team to be fined again.
UEFA faced severe criticism for years until the introduction of VAR in 2019, which increased transparency.
Following the 2005 San Siro incident, Inter Milan and AC Milan did not face each other in European competition until May 2023, when they will meet in the semi-finals.
At the beginning of the season, it was not expected that the two Milan teams would reach this stage. Although the match may not feature names such as Paolo Maldini vs Adriano, the clash between Fikayo Tomori vs Lautaro Martinez is expected to be exciting.
The upcoming match between AC Milan and Inter Milan holds significant importance, not only for securing a spot in the UEFA Champions League final, but also for their positions in the Serie A score table. Milan is currently in fourth place with 53 points, while Inter is in fifth place with 51 points. A win could provide a shortcut to the return of Champions League play next season.
The rivalry between the two teams in the Madonnina Derby is fierce and the stakes are high. The hope is for an exciting and drama-free match, with no incidents of fireworks on the field like 18 years ago.
In addition to this, the UEFA Champions League semifinals have also generated great excitement, featuring thrilling match-ups between Manchester City vs Real Madrid, and AC Milan vs Inter Milan.
Regardless of who emerges victorious in Istanbul, it promises to be an outstanding game.
