Milan 2-2 Pisa: Allegri’s side shocked by second-half comeback but Athekame spares blushes

Milan were left disappointed after a 2-2 draw with Pisa as tonight’s clash of top versus bottom resulted in a disappointing night for Massimiliano Allegri’s team, but a fantastic point for Gilardino’s side.

Milan went into the break with a deserved 1-0 lead, having controlled long spells of the first half and limited Pisa to efforts from distance.

Allegri’s side started on the front foot, dominating possession from kick-off and immediately pinning the visitors back inside their own half. The breakthrough arrived inside seven minutes, when Rafael Leão found space on the edge of the area and guided a precise low finish into the far corner to make it 1-0.

With the advantage, Milan continued to dictate tempo, building patiently through Modrić and Fofana and probing primarily down the flanks.

Saelemaekers remained lively throughout the half, delivering a number of dangerous crosses – one of which almost led to a second goal when Pisa goalkeeper Adrian Semper spilled a routine ball on 33 minutes, only for Leão to react too late to punish the mistake.

Pisa did grow into the contest sporadically and created two presentable openings. First, Nzola slipped Bonfanti through, but the forward fired over, before Akinsanmiro also sent a rising effort off target from the edge of the box.

Those moments aside, the visitors struggled to create sustained pressure, finding it difficult to bypass Milan’s midfield screen.

The Rossoneri closed the half back in control, testing Semper again through long-range efforts from Fofana and Modric and forcing repeated defending on the wings.

Pisa’s back line, already under strain, collected the first yellow card of the match when Aebischer dragged down Leão to stop a transition.

Milan entered the interval ahead and largely comfortable, but with only a single goal to show for their territorial dominance – leaving the match still open heading into the second half.

Milan returned from the interval looking to close out the contest, but they were immediately warned when Tramoni flashed a shot just over from the edge of the area.

Bartesaghi then created a good chance at the other end, only for Santiago Giménez to volley narrowly wide, before Pisa found their route back into the game.

A VAR check was made after a handball against Koni De Winter, but the video assistant confirmed the referee’s on-field decision, leading to a penalty, calmly converted by Juan Cuadrado on the hour mark to level the score at 1-1.

The equaliser visibly rattled Milan, who briefly lost structure and intensity, inviting pressure and allowing Pisa their best spell of the match.

Allegri’s men eventually regrouped and pushed forward again, with Saelemaekers continuing to threaten from the right – twice going close, including a powerful effort beaten away by an outstanding Semper save with twenty minutes to go.

Soon after, Rafael Leão struck the crossbar with a fierce effort from inside the box, as Milan ramped up the tempo in search of a late winner.

Allegri introduced fresh legs in the final stages, sending on Nkunku and Athekame, but despite renewed momentum the Rossoneri could not turn pressure into a decisive goal.

Nkunku had a big chance on 80 minutes, heading just over from close range.

Then, with five minutes to go, Nzola gave the visitors a late goal that saw them stun San Siro.

Deep into injury time, substitute Zachary Athekame converted after a good ball from Luka Modric, sparing Allegri’s blushes in what is still a disappointing draw for the Rossoneri.

The final whistle confirmed two dropped points for Milan, who dominated large stretches of play but were punished for lapses in the second half. Pisa, disciplined and resilient, earned a hard-fought draw, leaving Allegri’s side frustrated after a night of missed opportunities.

You can follow all the action as it happened on our Live Blog.