Rafael Leรฃo headed home after 14 minutes, then limped off injured. Christian Pulisic added a second just after halftime. Massimiliano Allegri watched from the stands, suspended. AC Milan beat SSC Bari 2-0 in the Coppa Italia on August 17, 2025, extending a rivalry that has defined Italian football’s north-south divide for nearly 100 years.
The fixture tells a bigger story than scorelines suggest. Milan represents seven European Cups, 19 Serie A titles, and decades at the summit of world football. Bari embodies survival, southern pride, and the fight to stay relevant against richer, more powerful opponents. Their 80-plus competitive meetings since the late 1920s chart the evolution of Italian football itself.
Table of Contents
December 1949: When Milan Scored Nine
The most brutal result in this rivalry arrived on December 17, 1949. Milan demolished Bari 9-1 at the Giuseppe Meazza in Serie A. Aurelio Santagostino scored five goals. Renzo Burini and Nils Liedholm each scored twice. Gunnar Gren converted a penalty. Carlo Stradella managed Bari’s consolation.
That season transformed Milan. The club ended a 40-year trophy drought by claiming the Scudetto. The team scored 118 goals across the 1949/50 campaign, a Serie A record that still stands. The nine-goal demolition of Bari showcased the attacking football that would define Milan for generations.
Bari absorbed the humiliation and kept fighting. The club’s identity was already taking shape: outmatched in resources, never outmatched in effort.
May 1995: Bari’s Greatest Victory
The date that Bari supporters remember above all others arrived on May 28, 1995. Bari won 1-0 at San Siro during Milan’s golden era.
Milan fielded Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, and multiple European champions. They were competing for a Champions League qualification spot. Fabio Capello’s side expected three points. Instead, Tovalieri scored in the second half after Milan goalkeeper Rossi could only parry a dangerous cross from Gautieri.
The victory helped Bari reach 44 points and secure Serie A survival. Months earlier, they had also beaten Inter at San Siro. Bari proved that determination and tactical discipline could occasionally overcome vast differences in quality and budget.
The overall record confirms Milan’s dominance:
- Approximately 80 competitive meetings between the clubs
- Milan won roughly 50 matches
- Bari claimed 13 victories
- 13 matches ended in draws
- Bari has only three wins at San Siro in history
- Milan has scored more than double Bari’s total goals
A Son of Bari Joins the Rossoneri
Antonio Cassano was born in Bari’s poorest neighborhood. His mother worked two jobs. His father abandoned them when he was an infant. Football provided his escape.
Cassano joined Bari’s youth academy and made his Serie A debut on December 11, 1999. One week later, on December 18, 1999, he announced himself to Italian football. Against Inter Milan at Stadio San Nicola, the 17-year-old controlled a long pass with his backheel in the 88th minute, dribbled past Laurent Blanc and Christian Panucci, faked out the goalkeeper, and scored Bari’s winning goal.
His performances attracted Roma, who paid approximately โฌ30 million for him in 2001. After spells at Roma and Real Madrid, Cassano joined Milan in January 2011 as Ronaldinho’s replacement.
He partnered with Zlatan Ibrahimoviฤ. Milan claimed the 2010/11 Serie A title. During that campaign, Cassano scored against his boyhood club Bari, along with other memorable goals including a penalty against Inter. The kid from Bari’s slums had conquered Italian football.
The Early 1980s: Equals in Serie B
An unusual chapter occurred in the early 1980s when Milan’s involvement in the Totonero match-fixing scandal sent them to Serie B. Both clubs competed in the second division. The matches carried weight despite occurring outside the top flight. Pride mattered regardless of the league.
Milan quickly returned to Serie A. Bari continued cycling between divisions, occasionally reaching the top flight but never staying long enough to establish themselves permanently.
Recent History and the 2025 Return
Bari’s most recent Serie A stint came during the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons. Manager Giampiero Ventura organized them well. They secured a memorable 0-0 draw at San Siro, frustrating Milan with disciplined defending.
Milan claimed the Scudetto in 2010/11. Bari faced relegation. The clubs wouldn’t meet competitively again for over a decade.
Financial collapse nearly destroyed Bari. The club declared bankruptcy and restarted in Serie D in 2018. They climbed back through the divisions, earning promotion after promotion. By 2025, they had returned to Serie B.
The August 2025 Coppa Italia meeting marked their first competitive fixture since 2011. Milan won comfortably, but Bari’s presence at San Siro represented something bigger than the result. The club had survived near extinction and fought back.
What the Numbers Don’t Show
Milan’s statistical dominance tells only part of the story. The fixture represents Italian football’s geographic and economic reality. Northern clubs built financial empires. Southern clubs fought with smaller budgets and fewer resources.
Bari’s three victories at San Siro across nearly 100 years of competition seem insignificant until you consider what they represented. Each win defied expectations. Each win gave southern supporters a moment to celebrate against the establishment.
Milan treated these fixtures as routine league business. Bari treated them as chances to prove they belonged on the same field as European royalty.
The Rivalry Continues
Bari currently competes in Serie B, working toward another promotion. Milan finished eighth in Serie A last season, missing Champions League qualification. Both clubs entered the 2025/26 campaign seeking redemption.
Their August meeting rekindled a rivalry that has stretched across nearly a century. If Bari earns promotion back to Serie A, the AC Milan vs SSC Bari timeline will add another chapter. The contrast between the clubs remains as stark as ever. The story continues.
