Ivan Perisic scored an equalizer in stoppage time to rescue a point for Inter Milan in an entertaining 2-2 derby draw against city rival AC Milan on Sunday.
Suso had scored twice for Milan, which looked set to move to second place in Serie A before Perisic’s last-gasp strike. Antonio Candreva netted Inter’s other goal.
Milan remained third, behind Roma on goal difference, and seven points behind league leader Juventus, which beat Pescara 3-0 on Saturday. Inter moved ninth.
“It’s disappointing to concede in the last second, but the lads should be happy for what they did tonight,” Milan coach Vincenzo Montella said.
“They might have a little trouble sleeping but they shouldn’t. Seeing our opponents, a team which is built to win the title, leaving the pitch as if they’d won the game gives us a little bit of satisfaction.”
This was likely to be Silvio Berlusconi’s final derby as Milan’s owner and the Rossoneri fans paid tribute in their pre-match choreography, unveiling a giant banner with a picture of him and all the trophies won during his tenure.
Berlusconi, who purchased the club 30 years ago, is expected to close a deal next month that will see his majority stake go to a group of Chinese investors that includes a Chinese state investment fund.
It was also a first derby for Inter’s new Chinese owners, as well as Stefano Pioli’s debut as the team’s coach after replacing the sacked Frank de Boer just before the international break.
“I saw a lot of positive things, definitely the attitude, the desire, the determination, the character,” Pioli said. “There are good foundations on which to build something important.
“We played more, we created more, we shot more. But we need to be more clinical. If we’d put away our chances, it could have finished differently.”
Inter had lost six of its past 10 matches in all competitions but started the brighter and had several chances to take the lead.
Milan broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute after a breakaway. A long throw from teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma found Giacomo Bonaventura, who sprinted forward and picked out Suso, with the Spaniard curling his shot into the bottom left corner.
Candreva leveled in controversial circumstances in the 53rd with a stunning strike into the top right corner. Milan players surrounded the referee in protest, saying they should have been awarded a free kick when Inter was given the throw-in that led to the goal.
Inter could have leveled sooner, but Perisic volleyed narrowly wide while Mauro Icardi scuffed an effort from a great position, with only Donnarumma to beat.
It found the equalizer in the final seconds as Jeison Murillo headed on a corner and Perisic tapped it in at the far post.
ATALANTA 2 ROMA 1
Roma failed to keep the pressure on Juventus as a woeful second half performance saw it lose at in-form Atalanta, which moved level with fourth-place Lazio.
Franck Kessie converted a penalty in the final minute to secure Atalanta’s fifth successive league win after Leandro Paredes had tripped Papu Gomez in the area.
Roma had taken the lead through a penalty of its own five minutes before halftime after Mohamed Salah’s shot hit Rafael Toloi’s arm. Diego Perotti drilled the spot kick into the bottom left corner.
Atalanta brought on midfielder Marco D’Alessandro for defender Andrea Masiello as it attacked more in the second half, although it left itself dangerously exposed at the back to Roma’s counterattacks.
Atalanta also hit the post through Remo Freuler’s deflected effort before Kessie’s winning penalty.
OTHER MATCHES
In-form forward Andrea Belotti again scored twice as Torino beat bottom club Crotone 2-0.
It was the third time in four matches, for club and country, that the Italy international had netted two goals.
Federico Bernardeschi and Josip Ilicic also scored two goals each as Fiorentina beat Empoli 4-0.
Lazio beat Genoa 3-1 to move back above sixth-placed Napoli, which won 2-1 at Udinese on Saturday. Sampdoria fought back from two goals down to beat Sassuolo 3-2 in the final seven minutes.
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