News Sports Football Substitute Ante Rebic brace help AC Milan win 3-2 against Udinese, Inter Milan held

Substitute Ante Rebic brace help AC Milan win 3-2 against Udinese, Inter Milan held

Inter remained second but could find itself four points behind Juventus if the eight-time defending champion beats Parma at home later.

AC Milan's Ante Rebic, center, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's third goal during a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Udinese Image Source : APAC Milan's Ante Rebic, center, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's third goal during a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Udinese

Title-chasing Inter Milan was surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened Lecce in Serie A on Sunday.

Inter remained second but could find itself four points behind Juventus if the eight-time defending champion beats Parma at home later.

Lecce is a point off the relegation zone.

Marcelo Brozović hit the post for Inter and Lecce had a penalty decision revoked after video review in the first half.

The Nerazzurri broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute when substitute Alessandro Bastoni, who had just come off the bench, headed in Cristiano Biraghi’s cross.

However, Lecce leveled five minutes later as captain Marco Mancosu got in front of Bastoni to volley in Zan Majer’s short cross.

Lecce could have even won the match as Filippo Falco hit the post late on.

FIVE-GOAL THRILLER

Substitute Ante Rebic scored twice to help AC Milan win a thrilling match 3-2 against Udinese.

Milan is undefeated since Zlatan Ibrahimović’s return to the club and the latest success saw the Rossoneri move up to eighth, two points off the European spots.

Ibrahimović set up the late winner. He was in midfield when he chested down Gianluigi Donnarumma’s long kick to a teammate and the 38-year-old then sprinted towards the area where he played a one-two with Rebic, who fired into the bottom right corner.

Milan had got off to a disastrous start as Jens Stryger-Larsen took advantage of an error from Donnarumma to fire into an empty net and give Udinese the lead in the sixth minute.

Rebic was brought on at halftime and he scored his first goal for the club three minutes later.

Donnarumma atoned for his earlier mistake with a series of saves and Milan took the lead when an Udinese clearance fell to Theo Hernández and he volleyed it in from 25 yards. The defender is Milan’s leading goalscorer with five league goals.

Udinese thought it had secured a point when Kevin Lasagna headed in the equalizer five minutes from time but Rebic scored in stoppage time.

OTHER MATCHES

Mario Balotelli's match lasted just seven minutes before he was sent off in Brescia's 2-2 draw against Cagliari.

Balotelli had just come off the bench when he was shown a yellow card for a high tackle in the 81st and then he was immediately shown a second for his reaction to the booking.

Also, Bologna drew 1-1 against Hellas Verona. Roma was playing later, at Genoa.