Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma fell behind after two goals to draw 2-2 with AC Milan, with goals scored in the 87th and 90+3 minutes, keeping Napoli comfortably at the top of the Italian football league.
With the Italian champions already scoring three points against an unambitious rival, two set pieces resulted in an equal number of goals, the only times the visitors scored on goal during the match.
AC Milan took the lead in the 30th minute after a corner from Sandro Tonali on the right, with French defender Pierre Kalulu, awaiting a header, beating Rui Patrício, who still touched the ball.
Even losing, Roma showed no sign of greater ambition and in the second half a Rafael Leão counter-attack saw the Portugal international serve for Tommaso Pobega’s first shot in the area (2-0).
Fortunately, Roma returned to the challenge in the 87th minute, following a corner from the right, to which Brazilian defender Roger Ibanez responded with an unstoppable header.
In the third of five minutes of stoppage time a free-kick on the right, a brilliant goalkeeper save on a header from Matic, but the ball stayed for Englishman Tammy Abraham to make it 2-2 final.
Napoli, with 44 points, now leads Juventus and AC Milan by seven, while Roma share fifth place with Lazio, with 31 points, within reach of Atalanta, with 28, who will visit Bologna on the second Thursday: in between, Inter is fourth, with 34.
Hours earlier, Napoli won 2-0 at Sampdoria, in a game where they started by wasting a penalty after just five minutes, when Matteo Politano hit the left post.
Portugal’s left-back Mário Rui helped to overcome the situation, when in the 19th minute he crossed and burst into Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen, who managed an indefensible deflection.
In the second half, with Sampdoria reduced to 10 due to the exclusion of Venezuelan Tomas Rincon, Napoli’s halftime was postponed in the 39th minute until the VAR dictated another penalty: this time it was up to Macedonian Eljif Elmas to try to convert , thereby the 2-0.
Lazio, with replacement Portuguese goalkeeper Maximiliano, were surprised by Empoli, who recovered from a two-goal deficit in the last minutes to draw 2-2, judged at 90+4 by Romanian midfielder Razvan Marin.
Curva Norte, an area dedicated to Lazio supporters, was closed due to racist acts during Wednesday’s match against Samuel Umtiti and Lemack Banda from Lecce.
With Portuguese defender João Moutinho on the bench and striker Leandro Sanca only in the 84th minute, Spezia couldn’t get past a clean sheet (0–0) against Lecce at home, leaving them in 17th place, with 15 points, six points above the ‘waterline’, against his opponent’s 19.
Salernitana and Torino drew 1–1, with the outsiders ahead, in the 36th minute, with a header from Paraguayan Antonio Sanabria, while Dutchman Tonny Vilhena equalized in the 49th minute on a counter-attack.
Turin is 10th with 23 points, while Salernitana is 14th with 18.
Bologna will receive Atalanta on Monday, at the end of the journey.
Source: DN
