Milan pays penalty as Bologna snatches late draw
AC Milan blew its chance to put pressure on the two teams above it in Serie A as Riccardo Orsolini’s late penalty snatched a 2-2 draw for Bologna after the Rossoneri had squandered two spot-kicks of their own.
Olivier Giroud had a first-half penalty saved and Theo Hernandez hit the post from the spot in the second period, but Milan still looked set to take the three points when Ruben Loftus-Cheek headed his second goal of the game with just seven minutes left on the clock.
Loftus-Cheek had earlier cancelled out an opener from Joshua Zirkzee, but Milan’s wasteful spot-kicks would prove costly for the side sitting third on the table behind Juventus and Inter Milan.
Play at the San Siro had been stopped in the 16th minute in support of Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who suffered racial abuse in its match at Udinese last weekend.
Fans lit up the stadium with smartphone torches while a quote from Martin Luther King, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that”, was shown on a big screen.
Milan was intent on a fifth straight win to close the gap on city rival Inter, and Rafael Leao had the first real chance in the 19th minute when he fired straight at Bologna keeper Lukasz Skorupski.
But the lively visitors were rewarded for their early ambition in the 29th minute when Zirkzee lashed home a loose ball after Milan failed to clear around the edge of their box.
Milan responded through Simon Kjaer who fired over the bar from a dangerous Christian Pulisic cross, then Pulisic himself missed an opportunity after being played in by Loftus-Cheek.
Milan was awarded its first penalty in the 39th minute for a foul by Lewis Ferguson on Kjaer, but Giroud missed his chance with a soft effort that was comfortably gathered by Skorupski.
But the hosts’ frustrations only lasted six minutes before Loftus-Cheek raced onto a cross from the left to grab his third goal in his past four games.
Zirkzee had two good chances to put the visitors back in front, while Tijjani Reijnders hit the woodwork before the hosts amazingly squandered another spot-kick.
With Giroud having been substituted, Theo Hernandez stepped up, but hit the post after Riccardo Calafiori had been penalised for his challenge on Leao. He put the rebound in the back of the net but was offside as a result of the ball striking the frame of the goal.
Milan finally grabbed the lead for the first time in the 83rd minute when Loftus-Cheek rose highest to head past Skorupski and seemingly set his side on its way to another three points.
But there was to be a final twist and after Victor Kristiansen came close to levelling, Bologna was awarded a penalty on the stroke of full-time, and Orsolini showed the hosts how it was done with a firm low strike past Maignan to grab a point for the visitors.
