AC Milan 3-3 Salernitana: Rossoneri surrender two-goal lead late on in Pioli’s farewell game

AC Milan failed to give Stefano Pioli a send-off with three points as they coughed up a two-goal lead late in the game to draw 3-3 with bottom-placed Salernitana.

Goals from Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud in the first half had the Rossoneri on course to seal a perfect ending to Pioli’s tenure as well as that of Giroud and Simon Kjaer, though Simy came off the bench and scored to halve the deficit.

Davide Calabria’s glancing header from a Christian Pulisic cross restored the two goal lead, yet Junior Sambia and Simy each scored inside the final 15 minutes to earn the away side a point.

It is not the ending that Pioli will have wanted, and in many ways it is befitting of a sub-par season, but it was still a night full of emotions.

Pioli decided to name quite an interesting starting XI for his final game, with Antonio Mirante getting the nod to start in net, Alessandro Florenzi in the midfield double pivot and Ismael Bennacer in a more advanced midfield role.

Milan started the game very brightly and immediately threatened with Olivier Giroud. After one of Rafael Leao’s typical bursts down the left side, the French striker fired from a narrow angle but the Salernitana goalkeeper Fiorillo did well to stop it.

Moments later, there was another big chance that fell to Leao. Following a corner kick, the Portuguese winger navigated some space on the left side of the box to strike a low shot that was heading for the far corner, yet Fiorillo got down early and saved it well.

Milan had another chance in the 13th minute when Florenzi whipped in a brilliant corner to an area around the penalty spot and Fikayo Tomori rose highest but nodded his effort just over the far top corner.

In the 23rd minute, the Rossoneri did finally take the lead but it took a real stroke of luck. A long ball in behind the defence from Reijnders looked to be an easy catch for Fiorillo, yet he somehow gathered then dropped the ball which allowed Leao to latch onto it and slot into a totally unguarded yet.

A few minutes later the lead became 2-0 as Giroud got the goal that he was hoping for in his farewell appearance. A corner from Florenzi on the left made its way to the Frenchman who was stood about eight yards from corner and he managed to volley it inside the post to double the advantage.

It continued to be all Milan as they looked to kill the game off before the break, and they thought they had in the 37th minute when Leao raced away down the wing and cut a ball back that Giroud dummied and Theo Hernandez slotted in. However, the replays showed the Portuguese was offside in the build-up and thus the goal was rightly disallowed.

Fiorillo responded to his earlier error with two outstanding saves just before the break. The first came when Theo shifted the ball onto his left foot after a central run and he was denied by the boot of the goalkeeper at the near post, then the second was to thwart a header from Matteo Gabbia that was dipping under the bar.

The Curva Sud had announced before the game that they would only be protesting for the first 45 minutes, and when the second half kicked off the stadium was quickly shrouded with the smoke from the pyrotechnics let off.

The pace of the game dropped quite noticeably compared to the first half, and Pioli decided to bring on some fresh legs when Mattia Caldara and Yacine Adli came on for Gabbia and Leao. It marked Caldara’s third appearance for the club, over five years after joining.

Four minute after the hour mark, the away side had something to celebrate as they halved the deficit. In truth it couldn’t have been an easier goal as Milan’s set piece owes reared their ugly head again: a corner from the left found the substitute Simy at the near post who glanced in from close range.

Theo Hernandez should have had an assist after a fantastic run in which he beat three people and served the ball to Bennacer, who then tried to assist Giroud but his first time shot was lofted straight into the arms of the goalkeeper.

With 13 minutes left on the clock, Milan thought they had the killer goal and it was Calabria’s first of the season that provided it. The work was all done by Pulisic, who freed some space to cross from the left flank and whipped a gorgeous cross onto the head of the full-back, who nodded it inside the far post via Fiorillo’s attempted stop.

In the 84th minute, Giroud made his way off and was replaced by Luka Jovic. He left the field to a standing ovation as expected and he had a particularly emotional embrace with Pioli.

When it looked like Milan had done enough to win the game, Salernitana struck to make it 3-2. The wing-back Junior Sambia drifted infield and found some room to let off a shot from just outside the box, angling it inside the far post past Mirante.

Mirante was then replaced by Lapo Nava while Tomori came off and Simon Kjaer came on, also getting an excellent reception in his curtain call.

Unfortunately for Nava, his first action of the game was to set up the equalising goal. He did well to stop an initial shot that came in from the right side, but only parried it into the path of Simy who tapped home and earned the away side a point.