A Franck Kessie penalty deep into stoppage time rescued a 1-1 draw for AC Milan against Udinese at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Serie A on Wednesday.
Rodrigo Becao’s second half header looked to have snatched all three points for the Zebrette against the run of play, until Kessie equalised from the penalty spot with the last kick of the game.
The draw leaves Milan in second but could see them lose further ground to Inter in the title race, with the Nerazzurri facing Parma on Thursday.
Milan dominated possession early on, forcing Udinese to defend deep behind the ball, yet struggled to create any meaningful chances.
Samu Castillejo had the best chance of the first half when he dribbled past two Udinese defenders and into the box, before shooting across Juan Musso to the far corner. The goalkeeper reacted well to keep the ball out with his outstretched leg however.
Despite their dominance, the Rossoneri suffered a scare early in the second half as Roberto Pereyra broke beyond the backline and lofted a ball to Ilija Nestorovski. The Macedonian confidently headed towards goal but was denied by an acrobatic Alessio Romagnoli clearance on the line.
Milan had chances of their own, with Kessie meeting a corner at the front post and heading goalward, forcing Musso to react instinctively and parry the ball away.
Yet it was Udinese who took the lead, as they capitalised on a corner midway through the second half. Becao rose highest to meet the delivery and guide his header straight towards Gianluigi Donnarumma and catching the goalkeeper out, as the Italian allowed the ball to squeeze in from under him.
Milan did their best to increase the pressure on the Udinese defence by keeping the visitors penned into their own half, but struggled to create any clear cut chances.
The pressure finally told in the dying moments though, with Zebrette defender Stryger Larsen handling the ball inside the penalty area in the fifth minute of injury time. Ivorian midfielder Kessie stepped up and made no mistake from the spot drilling into the bottom corner to rescue a point for the Rossoneri.
