Mario Balotelli was racially abused

Mario Balotelli managed to keep his composure in the Milan derby after being subjected to insults and reported racial taunts by fans of his former club.

Internazionale supporters waved inflated bananas and whistled at the former Manchester City striker during the derby at San Siro on Sunday.

The Milan forward, who was born in Italy but is of Ghanaian descent, responded by holding a finger to his mouth midway through the second half.

Playing against Inter for the first time since transferring from Manchester City to Milan last month, Balotelli missed a number of presentable chances, most notably when his header was spectacularly saved by the Inter goalkeeper, Samir Handanovic.

Balotelli played for Inter from 2006-10, helping the club to a treble in his final season with the team before moving to Manchester City. He already has four goals for Milan.

“Balotelli did very well not to react to the provocations, I’m just sorry he wasn’t able to score,” said the Milan manager, Massimiliano Allegri, after the game. “He had a great first half. Let’s not forget that he’s 22 years old and he was playing against his former squad. It’s to be expected that he felt pressure for this match.”

The derby ended 1-1 after the Inter substitute Ezequiel Schelotto scored his first goal for the club three minutes after coming on to cancel out Stephan El Shaarawy’s first-half goal for Milan.