October 25, (THEWILL) — AC Milan rescued a point in dramatic circumstances after Zachary Athekame struck deep into stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw with Pisa at the San Siro. The home side appeared destined for defeat, following M’Bala Nzola’s 86th-minute goal, before the substitute found the net three minutes into added time to extend the Rossoneri’s unbeaten sequence to eight matches.
Rafael Leao continued his impressive form by opening the scoring in the seventh minute. The forward collected possession on the right flank before driving infield and firing a curling strike into the bottom-right corner from outside the penalty area. The Portugal international had netted twice in Milan’s previous victory over Fiorentina.
Pisa drew level on the hour mark through half-time substitute, Juan Cuadrado, who converted from the spot after his own shot hit the arm of Koni De Winter. The 37-year-old sent Mike Maignan in the wrong direction to restore parity for the visitors under Massimiliano Allegri.
Milan dominated the search for a winner but were denied repeatedly by Pisa goalkeeper, Adrian Semper, who made a remarkable double stop to keep out Matteo Gabbia’s close-range header and Alexis Saelemakers’ long-range effort. Leao also struck the woodwork following an inventive backheel pass from Youssouf Fofana.
The Rossoneri’s attacking approach left them vulnerable at the rear, allowing Ebenezer Akinsanmiro to thread a pass forward for Nzola, who finished from close range to stun the home crowd. Athekame responded by finding the bottom-right corner through a congested penalty area, with Semper unable to see the shot, before Saelemakers missed a golden opportunity with the final kick of the match.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
