Serie A, Atalanta 1-1 Milan: Champions come from behind as Bennacer rescues a draw

Malinovskyi’s
deflected
first-half
effort
put
Gian
Piero
Gasperini’s
hosts
in
the
ascendency
as
Junior
Messias,
Pierre
Kalulu
and
Theo
Hernandez
spurned
good
opportunities
for
the
visitors.

With
Stefano
Pioli’s
side
pinning
Atalanta
back
after
the
break,
Bennacer
bent
a
fine
effort
home
to
earn
Milan
a
valuable
point
in
their
bid
to
defend
the
Scudetto.

Results
|

Fixtures

While
Milan
were
unable
to
force
a
winner
and
make
it
two
wins
from
two
Serie
A
outings,
they
remain
unbeaten
in
league
action
since
January
after
claiming
a
point
from
a
difficult
away
trip.

14
–
AC
Milan
are
the
side
to
have
gained
the
most
points
from
trailing
situation
in
Serie
A
in
2022
(14).
Compact.#AtalantaMilan
pic.twitter.com/7lOfUsrHPc

—
OptaPaolo
????
(@OptaPaolo)

August
21,
2022

Rafael
Leao
and
Malinovskyi
both
dragged
efforts
into
the
side-netting
during
an
open
start,
before
Messias
volleyed
wide
after
receiving
a
glorious
cross-field
pass
from
Hernandez
23
minutes
in.

The
hosts
hit
the
front
in
the
29th
minute
when
Malinovskyi
met
Joakim
Maehle’s
cut-back
with
a
left-footed
strike
from
the
edge
of
the
area,
beating
Mike
Maignan
with
the
help
of
a
slight
deflection
off
Kalulu.

Kalulu
headed
Hernandez’s
free-kick
over
as
Milan
looked
to
respond
after
the
break,
before
Leao
cut
inside
to
bend
a
long-range
effort
narrowly
wide
of
the
top-right
corner.

Maignan
turned
Mario
Pasalic’s
powerful
header
over
the
crossbar
10
minutes
into
the
second
half,
before
Juan
Musso
raced
off
his
goal-line
to
smother
Hernandez’s
goal-bound
effort
as
the
Rossoneri
upped
the
ante.

Atalanta’s
resistance
was
finally
broken
with
22
minutes
remaining,
Bennacer
whipping
a
terrific
effort
in
off
the
far
post
after
cutting
in
from
the
right
to
ensure
the
spoils
were
shared.