Cagliari 3-3 Milan (November 9, 2024) Match analysis

(Adds quotes from paragraph 12)

November 9 (Reuters) – AC Milan had to settle for a 3-3 draw at Cagliari after Rafael Leao’s first-half brace was canceled out by Gabriele Zappa’s brace for the hosts after the break in a Serie A thriller on Saturday became.

The fast-paced game saw plenty of chances for both sides, with Milan recording 16 shots and Cagliari 13, as both teams had clear opportunities to score more goals.

This result leaves Milan in seventh place with 18 points, seven points behind leaders Napoli. Cagliari is in 16th place with 10.

An unmarked Nadir Zortea drew cheers from the home fans after 65 seconds when he volleyed the ball into the net from a corner, giving Cagliari the lead.

But Portuguese striker Leao avoided the offside trap and calmly beat the onrushing goalkeeper Alen Sherri to equalize for the visitors after 15 minutes.

Just before the half-hour, Roberto Piccoli netted for Cagliari after fighting for the ball from a cross, but the shot was ruled offside.

Leao then gave Milan the lead five minutes before half-time with a calm finish into an empty net after beating Sherri to score his second goal.

ZAPPA DOUBLE

Nicolas Viola thought he had equalized for Cagliari in first-half stoppage time when he pushed a ball into the net that had already gone over the line and was ruled offside.

The drama continued as Cagliari equalized eight minutes after the break, taking advantage of a defensive error when a deflection gave Zappa a clear path into the box to score.

Milan regained the lead in the 69th minute through substitute Tammy Abraham, who had only been on the pitch for three minutes, when he fired in a rebound after Serri had one-handed Christian Pulisic’s attempt away.

However, Zappa refused to give up and found space to fire a cross into the top corner a minute before stoppage time, leveling the score again to secure a point for Cagliari.

Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders said the result was disappointing as defensive errors allowed three goals to be scored.

“We started by conceding a goal straight away, that’s not how you want to start a game. This is not acceptable, it is not the Milan style to concede three identical goals,” he told DAZN.

When asked about his brace, Zappa said: “It definitely means a lot. We felt like we could have taken home the win. We believed in it and then we lost. Luckily we managed to take home a point.” (Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)