The reigning Serie A champions AC Milan were held to a 1-1 draw at home on Monday when a second-half goal from Salernitana forward Boulaye Dia offset an early header from Olivier Giroud. This was their third consecutive loss in all competitions.
Milan is currently fourth in the standings with 48 points after eliminating Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday to advance to their first Champions League quarterfinals in 11 years.
They are 20 points behind front-running title challengers Napoli and trail third-placed Lazio by one point, Inter Milan by two points, and both by one point.
The ball was delivered low and wide of the far post by Milan striker Rafael Leao in the 23rd minute, and Brahim Diaz nearly missed the opportunity to alter its trajectory and slide it home from close range.
Six minutes later, Giroud nearly scored with an overhead kick after a corner, but it narrowly missed the goal.
The Salernitana goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa did not react as the France striker headed home from a corner by midfielder Ismael Bennacer to give Milan a 1-0 lead shortly before halftime.
In the 52nd minute, a Bennacer shot that struck Leao on the edge of the penalty area and sailed wide would have increased the advantage for the home team.
The Portuguese forward, who scored in the rematch on Jan. 4, has gone seven league games without a goal for the first time since the conclusion of the 2020–21 season.
Unmarked Dia, who was put up inside the box by defender Domagoj Bradaric, scored Salernitana’s equalizer in the 61st minute to make it 1-1.
Although Milan had the majority of the possession and had late chances through striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and defense Alessandro Florenzi, they were unable to reverse the outcome.
For the first time since the three-point rule came into effect (1994–1955), Stefano Pioli’s team, which started without an Italian player, had 24 total efforts on goal compared to the visitors’ six shots.
Pioli told Sky Sport that there was no mental or physical decline and that additional work was required.
“We gave up an unnecessary goal after a throw-in. The game then became tense, and we were unable to gain the upper hand. a dropped chance.”
Salernitana, who earned their first-ever league point at the San Siro, are in 16th place with 26 points after adding a crucial point to increase their margin of safety to seven points.
“We actually made life difficult for Milan. The goal was gorgeous. We are attempting to have more occasions like that “said Paulo Sousa, the coach.
On Saturday, they welcome Bologna, who are currently in ninth place, while Milan will be visiting Udinese, who are now in tenth place.
