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Milan held to draw at Cagliari despite Leao double

olympics09 November 2024 19:30| © Reuters
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 AC Milan had to settle for a 3-3 draw at Cagliari after Rafael Leao’s first-half brace was matched by Gabriele Zappa's double for the hosts after the break in a Serie A thriller on Saturday.

The high-paced match saw numerous chances from both sides, with Milan registering 16 shots and Cagliari 13, as the two teams had clear opportunities to add even more goals.

The result leaves Milan in seventh place with 18 points, seven adrift of leaders Napoli. Cagliari are 16th with 10.

An unmarked Nadir Zortea sparked celebrations from the home fans after 65 seconds by volleying the ball into the net after a corner to give Cagliari the lead.

However Portuguese forward Leao evaded the offside trap and calmly lobbed onrushing goalkeeper Alen Sherri to equalise after 15 minutes for the visitors.

Just before the half-hour mark, Roberto Piccoli netted for Cagliari after battling for the ball from a cross but the effort was ruled out for offside.

Leao then put Milan ahead five minutes before the break with a composed finish into an empty net following a surge past Sherri to grab his second goal.

ZAPPA DOUBLE

Nicolas Viola thought he had equalised for Cagliari in first-half stoppage time when he slid in to net a ball that was already heading over the line and was ruled offside.

The drama continued as Cagliari levelled eight minutes after the break, capitalising on a defensive lapse when a deflection gave Zappa a clear path into the box to score.

Milan regained the lead in the 69th through substitute Tammy Abraham, who had only been on the pitch three minutes when he tapped in a rebound after Serri made a one-handed save to keep out Christian Pulisic’s angled attempt.

However, Zappa refused to give up, finding space unmarked to volley a cross into the top corner a minute before stoppage time and level the scores again to secure a point for Cagliari.

Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders said the result was disappointing as defensive errors had allowed three goals.

"We started by conceding a goal right away, that's not how you want to begin a match. It's not acceptable, it's not the Milan way to concede three identical goals," he told DAZN.

Asked about his double, Zappa said: "It definitely means a lot. We felt we could have taken home the victory. We believed in it and then we were losing. Luckily, we managed to bring home a point."

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