Milan held to 2-2 by Pisa after late Athekame equalizer

AC Milan were held to a 2-2 draw by bottom club Pisa on Friday at San Siro after a dramatic late turnaround that saw Zachary Athekame score in stoppage time to rescue a point for the Serie A leaders. Rafael Leão gave Milan an early lead, Pisa equalized from the penalty spot after a VAR handball check, then Mbala Nzola put the visitors ahead with five minutes remaining before Athekame struck deep into injury time.

Milan took control early and opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Leão tucked a low finish into the far corner. The hosts dominated possession for long spells, probing through Luka Modrić and Youssouf Fofana and creating several chances, but they went into the break only 1-0 ahead. Match reports said Pisa’s best first-half openings came sporadically and that Milan limited the visitors to few clear chances.

Early in the second half a VAR review found a handball by Koni De Winter in the box and Juan Cuadrado converted the spot kick to level the score at 1-1. The equalizer appeared to unsettle Milan, who briefly lost structure, while Pisa grew in confidence and posed a greater threat on transitions. Milan resumed pressure, with Alexis Saelemaekers forcing a sharp...