Late Athekame strike spares Milan from Pisa upset

MILAN :AC Milan salvaged a last-gasp 2-2 draw at home against struggling Pisa on Friday, with a strike from Zachary Athekame rescuing a point for the Serie A leaders.

The hosts were heading for an embarrassing defeat when substitute Athekame fired a low, long-range shot that slipped in during stoppage time.

Milan remain top with 17 points, two ahead of Inter Milan, Napoli and AS Roma, who are all set to play later over the weekend. Pisa climbed off the bottom to 18th with four points.

Massimiliano Allegri's side were without key man Christian Pulisic, sidelined with a hamstring injury, and had hoped for a straightforward outing against a struggling Pisa side still searching for their first league win.

"We expected this match, but they came to defend and make life difficult for us. It's only our fault we didn't win: we didn't do enough to win the game. We lost two important points today," Milan midfielder Luka Modric told Sky Sports.

It took just seven minutes for Milan to break the deadlock, as Rafael Leao drifted to the edge of the box and fired a low shot into the net.

Seemingly content with their early lead, Milan eased off the pressure well into the second half without the big chances but with control.

At the hour mark, the match took a dramatic turn when Milan’s Koni De Winter handled the ball inside the box, allowing Pisa’s Juan Cuadrado to calmly convert from the spot and bring the sides level.

Milan launched a renewed offensive with Leao being played beautifully through inside the box just minutes later, but his effort crashed off the top of the crossbar.

Not long after Alexis Saelemaekers unleashed a powerful strike from distance after a rebound, only for Pisa keeper Adrian Semper to produce the save of the night,