Sassuolo thwarts AC Milan after Bartesaghi brace

  • AC Milan was unable to apply the pressure on its Serie A title rivals after sharing the spoils with Sassuolo.

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Davide Bartesaghi's brace proved academic for the Rossoneri, as Armand Lauriente's 77th-minute equaliser salvaged a draw at San Siro.

Sassuolo struck first after 13 minutes as Ismael Kone latched onto Andrea Pinamonti's pass, before neatly finishing past Mike Maignan with the outside of his boot.

Milan responded in the 34th minute when Bartesaghi turned in Ruben Loftus-Cheek's cross at the far post, while the left-back completed the turnaround when he beat Arijanet Muric at his near post early in the second half.

The offside flag prevented Massimiliano Allegri's side from extending its lead on two occasions, with Christian Pulisic and Adrien Rabiot both denied.

Sassuolo made those reprieves count when a neat one-touch move was rounded off by Lauriente, who then struck the post as the visitors pushed for a winner.

Milan held out for a point.

Bartesaghi's pair of neat finishes represented his first goals in senior football.

At 19 years and 350 days, he became the youngest Italian defender to score for the Rossoneri in Serie A since the great Paolo Maldini (19 years, 247 days) in February 1988.

The last defender to net a brace in Serie A at a younger age than Bartesaghi was Ibrahima Mbaye in March 2014 (19 years, 110 days).

Davide Bartesaghi
Davide Bartesaghi
AC Milan