After leading 2-0 with goals from Olivier Giroud and Tijjani Reijnders, losing Rafael Leao to injury, and Giroud receiving a red card, Lecce rallied back for a dramatic 2-2 draw, and only the video assistant referee and the woodwork saved them from winning.
Milan won their match against PSG midweek to get back on track, but after three rounds of Serie A play, they still only had one point. Pulisic, Kalulu, Kjaer, Bennacer, Pellegrino, and Caldara were all left off of the roster, and Loftus-Cheek was deemed unfit to play.
Lecce finished with just two points after playing in six matches, squandering a lead to fall down to Roma with two goals in stoppage time, and suffering a thigh strain to Pontus Almqvist.
After only eight minutes of play, Leao pulled up clutching his right thigh after suffering an injury while pursuing a through ball that Tommaso Pobega had played. This was the worst possible start for Milan.
After coming in, Noah Okafor promptly assisted Pobega with a back-heel flick that stung Wladimiro Falcone’s gloves at the near post.
The score was finally broken for Milan when Theo Hernandez finished a give-and-go with Okafor down the left side and drew back from the by-line for Giroud to go in front of his defender and bundle across the line off his stomach.
Lameck Banda had tested Mike Maignan from a distance, but the game was decided when Theo Hernandez broke the tie. As he made his 100th appearance wearing the Milan jersey, it was the perfect way to celebrate the milestone.
Milan had a two-goal advantage over their opponents thanks to the goal by summer signing Tijjani Reijnders. Giroud led the defender away to make space for him, and he smashed the ball beneath the goalkeeper after receiving the ball from Malick Thiaw in the middle of the pitch and beginning his run.
After this run, which resulted in a shot that hit the bottom of the post, it was evident that Reijnders’s confidence had been bolstered, and he almost scored another goal for Milan a few moments later.
After Gabriel Strefezza had rolled across from the left side, it was necessary for Mike Maignan to make a spectacular reaction save on Lameck Banda from close range.
As a result of Davide Calabria leaving the game with an injury at halftime Yunus Musah was forced to take over at right defense for the team. Strefezza being denied a goal by a sliding tackle from Malick Thiaw inside the box.
While Reijnders’ pull-back found its way into Falcone’s thankful arms via a double ricochet, Theo Hernandez’s attempt to get the pass away in time during a counterattack was unsuccessful.
Those opportunities for Milan were squandered, and Lecce responded with a goal that was strikingly similar to the one that they had given up to PSG the previous week. Alexis Blin nodded on a corner kick to the back post, where it was received by Nicola Sansone, who was all alone and was able to put it away.
After only four minutes, the home team tied the game when Musah lost possession of the ball, which started a play from left to right from Roberto Piccoli and Sansone to Banda, who curved a left-footed shot into the far bottom corner of the goal with his left foot. The Rossoneri squandered a lead in a similar fashion to how they did in their 2-2 draw on the road against Napoli.
An angle shot taken by Theo Hernandez went just wide of the goal, and a free kick taken by Sansone hit the side netting instead of the goal.
In the 85th minute, Lecce came very close to making a complete comeback when a header by Sansone off of a cross by Valentin Gendrey hit the far post and ricocheted around the back of the empty net without really going in.
Sansone also missed the goal with his shot, but Giroud lost his cool and was shown two yellow cards in a matter of seconds for dissent after claiming that Marin Pongracic had handled the ball. Sansone also missed the goal with his shot.
Piccoli then took control of a long clearance by Falcone, surprised Maignan off his line, and fired in at the near bottom corner from 25 meters out to give Lecce a 3-2 lead not long after that. Piccoli stepped on Thiaw’s foot in an effort to get away from the defender, which led to the goal being disallowed after an on-field review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
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