:AC Milan had to settle for a 3-3 draw at Cagliari after Rafael Leao’s first-half brace was matched by Gabriele Zappa’s double for the hosts after the break in a thriller of Serie A Saturday.

The fast-paced match saw plenty of chances from both sides, with Milan recording 16 shots and Cagliari 13, with both teams having clear chances to add even more goals.

The result puts Milan in seventh place with 18 points, seven points behind leaders Napoli. Cagliari is 16th with 10.

An unmarked Nadir Zortea sparked celebrations from the home fans after 65 seconds when he sent the ball into the net following a corner to give Cagliari the lead.

However, Portuguese striker Leao escaped the offside trap and calmly lobbed goalkeeper Alen Sherri to equalize after 15 minutes for the visitors.

Just before the half-hour mark, Roberto Piccoli scored for Cagliari after battling for the ball from a cross, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

Leao then put Milan ahead five minutes before the break with a calm finish into an empty net after a drive past Sherri to score her second goal.

ZAPPA DOUBLE

Nicolas Viola thought he had equalized for Cagliari in first-half stoppage time when he slid in to score a ball that was already over the line and was ruled offside.

The drama continued as Cagliari equalized eight minutes after the break, capitalizing on a defensive error when a deflection allowed Zappa to force his way into the box to score.

Milan regained the lead in the 69th minute through substitute Tammy Abraham, who had only been on the pitch for three minutes when he grabbed a rebound after Serri made a one-handed save to deny the attempt. angle from Christian Pulisic.

However, Zappa refused to give up, finding unmarked space to fire a cross into the top corner a minute before injury time and equalize again to secure a point for Cagliari.

Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders said the result was disappointing as defensive errors allowed three goals.

“We started by conceding a goal straight away, that’s not how you want to start a match. It’s not acceptable, it’s not the Milan way to concede three identical goals.” he told DAZN.

Asked about his double, Zappa said: “It really means a lot. We felt like we could have won. We believed in it and then we lost. Luckily we managed to come away with a point.”