Napoli recover spark to rescue 2-2 draw against Milan

NAPLES, Italy: Champions Napoli came back from two goals down to rescue a 2-2 draw at home against AC Milan in Serie A on Sunday (Oct 29) and preserve their top-four spot in the standings.

Napoli winger Matteo Politano and forward Giacomo Raspadori both scored after the break to cancel out two first-half headers by Olivier Giroud in an energetic game that saw the two teams dominate one half each.

Milan, who lost 1-0 at home to Juventus last weekend, remain third on 22 points, three behind leaders Inter Milan and one adrift of second-placed Juve. Napoli are fourth with 18 points.

"For what we created today, two goals are too few," Milan coach Stefano Pioli told DAZN. "When you lead 0-2 you have to take the game home.

"We shouldn't have conceded that first goal, giving the opponent courage. It's not like we stopped playing; on the contrary. We weren't passive but if we dominated in the first half, we did a little less so in the second."

The game got off to a lively start and Giroud had an early chance but his shot from close range was cleared by Napoli's defence.

The Frenchman, however, made no mistake when he broke the deadlock for Milan in the 22nd minute, nodding home the opener from an assist by Christian Pulisic.

He netted Davide Calabria's cross with another close-range header to double the lead nine minutes later.

Napoli, who have had most shots taken in Serie A this season with 166 chances before the kick-off, looked helpless against Milan in the first half but Politano sparked Rudi Garcia's side into life when he scored five minutes after the break.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also had chances before the hour mark before Giacomo Raspadori found the leveller in the 63rd, unleashing an unstoppable shot from