Bayern Munich needed a stoppage-time goal to see off Celtic and secure a place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday, while AC Milan were dumped out by Feyenoord and both Club Brugge and Benfica also advanced. In Germany, Bayern were defending a 2-1 lead over Celtic in their play-off tie from last week’s first leg but the Bundesliga leaders were unable to put the tie to bed, with Harry Kane hitting the bar before half-time.

Instead it was Celtic who went ahead on the night on 63 minutes thanks to Nicolas Kuehn, the former Bayern player, who slotted low into the net after a failed attempt to win the ball by Kim Min-jae.

That meant the tie was heading for extra time, but Bayern ultimately would not need to go that far as they scored in the fourth minute of injury time.

Alphonso Davies bundled the ball in from close range to make the score 1-1 on the night and clinch the tie for six-time European champions Bayern 3-2 on aggregate.

Vincent Kompany‘s team will find out their last-16 opponents when the draw is made on Friday, but it will be either German rivals Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid.

“Of course, we always want to dominate and be much better than the opponent, especially here. But the result is always the most important thing,” Kompany told UEFA.com

It was a heartbreaking way for Celtic to go out but the Scottish champions will take heart from their performance over the two legs.

“It never looked like we were going to concede the goal that we did and sadly for us, we did. I can only take immense pride from the performance and the guys gave everything,” said Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.

Earlier, seven-time European Cup winners Milan were eliminated by Feyenoord, a 1-1 draw at San Siro taking the Dutch club through 2-1 on aggregate.

Santiago Gimenez, playing against the club he left just last month, had put Milan ahead on the night from close range in the first minute to level the tie on aggregate.

However, Milan had Theo Hernandez sent off early in the second half for a second booking, and Feyenoord levelled on the night through Julian Carranza on 73 minutes.

The visitors had Givairo Read shown a red card at the end of the game after they had held on to win the tie.

They could now come back to San Siro in the next round, with Inter Milan and Arsenal their two possible opponents.

Benfica and Club Brugge through

In Lisbon, Benfica drew 3-3 at home with Monaco to win their play-off tie 4-3 on aggregate and go through to play either Barcelona or Liverpool next.

Having won 1-0 in Monaco last week, the Portuguese giants extended their aggregate lead when Kerem Akturkoglu opened the scoring on the night midway through the first half.

Monaco came roaring back with Takumi Minamino and Eliesse Ben Seghir netting either side of half-time to level the tie on aggregate.

Vangelis Pavlidis scored a penalty, his seventh goal in his last six Champions League games, to make it 2-2 on the night, only for substitute George Ilenikhena to hit back for Monaco.

However, the tie swung decisively back towards Benfica as Orkun Kokcu made it 3-3 on the night on 84 minutes.

“It was a tough night, we knew Monaco would put pressure on us from the start and we felt it, we didn’t play our best game,” Kokcu told broadcaster SportTV.

“Still, we’re happy to have progressed to the last 16. I’m happy to have contributed to the result.”

Teenage starlet Chemsdine Talbi scored twice as Club Brugge claimed a 3-1 victory away to Atalanta in Italy to win their tie 5-2 on aggregate.

Talbi’s brace was followed by a superb Ferran Jutgla strike as the Belgians built on their 2-1 win at home in last week’s first leg and advanced to a last 16 tie against either Lille or Aston Villa.

Atalanta had 29 attempts on goal but were punished on the break by the Belgians and Ademola Lookman’s reply at the start of the second half was scant consolation.

Lookman also had a penalty saved while Atalanta captain Rafael Toloi was sent off late on, as last season’s Europa League winners bowed out.

The remaining play-off second legs will take place on Wednesday, with the standout fixture seeing Real Madrid defend a 3-2 first-leg lead at home to Manchester City.

Harry Kane was on target as Bayern Munich beat Celtic 2-1 in Glasgow in the first leg of their Champions League play-off on Wednesday, while there were also wins for Benfica, Feyenoord and Club Brugge. Bayern are hoping to go all the way to this season’s final, which will be played at their own Allianz Arena in Munich on May 31. They threatened to run riot against the Scottish champions at Celtic Park as they dominated the first half and took the lead just before the interval thanks to a superb Michael Olise strike.

Bayern’s second goal came just four minutes after half-time, with the unmarked Kane scoring with a cushioned finish at the back post following a corner.

It was Kane’s seventh goal in this season’s Champions League, and his 29th in 29 games in all competitions.

However, the Bundesliga leaders took their foot off the pedal after that, allowing Celtic — who had a first-minute Nicolas Kuehn goal disallowed for offside — to come back into the game.

Brendan Rodgers’ team pulled one back as Daizen Maeda scored following a corner with 11 minutes left, but they could not find an equaliser.

“It’s cliche to say, but it’s the first half of the game. Overall, it’s a really great result,” said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany, according to the BBC.

Celtic’s first home defeat since December 2023 leaves them facing a huge task to try to turn the tie around in Germany next Tuesday, with the winners going through to face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid in the last 16.

“It’s only a one goal difference. It’s a big challenge, we know that but it’s still a possibility,” insisted Rodgers.

Controversy in Bruges

Elsewhere, Vangelis Pavlidis scored the only goal as Benfica won 1-0 away to Monaco, as the home side were forced to play much of the second half with 10 men.

Benfica had won 3-2 in Monaco in the league phase in November and they came out on top again at the Stade Louis II thanks to a Pavlidis strike just after half-time.

It was the Greek international’s sixth goal in his team’s last five Champions League outings, a run which includes a hat-trick in the dramatic 5-4 loss to Barcelona last month.

Monaco had Libyan midfielder Moatasem Al-Musrati sent off in the 52nd minute, when the recent signing from Besiktas gestured to the referee calling for a yellow card after his teammate Breel Embolo had been fouled, only to be handed a second caution himself.

Benfica will hope to finish off the tie in next week’s return, with the winners facing either Liverpool or Barcelona in the last 16.

In Rotterdam, Feyenoord shook off the sacking of coach Brian Priske on Monday to beat seven-time European champions AC Milan 1-0 and gain the upper hand to take to San Siro for the return.

The Dutch side were helped by a clanger from Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who allowed Igor Paixao’s speculative third-minute shot to ricochet off his body and into the net.

That was the only goal of a match played in driving rain at De Kuip.

“These evenings are why we do this,” said Feyenoord captain Quinten Timber.

“De Kuip was on it again. We were on it. On to next week,” he added, with Inter Milan or Arsenal awaiting the winner in the next round.

Earlier, Club Brugge beat last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta 2-1 in Belgium thanks to a controversial stoppage-time penalty.

Ferran Jutgla gave the Belgian side a 15th-minute lead as Atalanta were punished for sloppy play at the back, but Mario Pasalic headed in an equaliser for the visitors before the break.

That looked to be that until the hosts were awarded a penalty at the death when substitute Gustaf Nilsson went down after being caught in the face by the outstretched arm of Atalanta defender Isak Hien.

The contact appeared to be accidental and not serious, but the referee stuck by his decision after reviewing the images, and Swedish forward Nilsson swept in the penalty.

“I’ve only just seen the footage and I reckon that if you ask 100 people if that was a penalty all 100 would say no. It’s very strange,” complained Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere.

Whoever wins that tie will face Aston Villa or Lille next.

Champions League Live Streaming Knockout Phase Play-Off Draw Live Telecast© X (Twitter)

AC Milan turned jeers to cheers on Sunday as two goals in stoppage time gave the seven-time European champions a stunning 3-2 win over Parma in Serie A. Trailing to what looked like being Enrico Delprato’s winner for Parma heading into added time, Milan triumphed thanks to strikes from Tijjani Reijnders and Samuel Chukwueze, sending previously frustrated fans delirious with joy. Milan move up to sixth, five points behind Lazio who sit fourth and host off-form Fiorentina in Sunday’s late match.

Nigeria forward Chukwueze’s bundled finish completely changed the atmosphere around the San Siro and gave Sergio Conceicao’s team a huge boost ahead of a massive week.

Milan travel to Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday gunning for direct qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League before their local derby with Inter Milan next weekend.

“I think we showed the right mentality, fighting to the end and the way we changed this game is crazy,” said Netherlands midfielder Reijnders after his 11th goal of the season.

“This game was important for us to get back where we belong. Now we have to continue.”

Fan discontent had threatened to bubble over in the 80th minute when Delprato forced home on the rebound after Mike Maignan did brilliantly to keep out Drissa Camara.

Supporters turned towards the directors’ box and ironically applauded Milan’s management, after Milan’s hardcore ultras watched the majority of the match in silence, only raising their voices to again demand that American owners RedBird sell the club.

The loudest cheers heard from home fans before Reijnders’ 91st-minute equaliser, slotted home from Yunus Musah’s fine through ball, came moments before when Strahinja Pavlovic headed in what he thought was the leveller before it was rightly ruled out for offside.

Unfortunate Parma were left with nothing from an excellent performance which deserved more but meant Fabio Pecchia’s team stay a point above the relegation zone.

“When you play like that at the San Siro and you leave with a defeat there’s going to be disappointment but there’s also awareness of what we did because I saw a lot of good stuff today,” said Pecchia.

“A performance like that can only serve us well for the future.”

Inter are at Lecce on Sunday evening hoping to halve the six-point gap separating the champions from league leaders Napoli, with Roma at fellow mid-table outfit Udinese.

Sergio Conceicao has brought back the feelgood factor to AC Milan as the seven-time European champions host Cagliari on Saturday still on a high from a dramatic Italian Super Cup triumph over local rivals and Serie A kings Inter Milan. Little has gone right for Milan this season, with supporters demanding American owners RedBird sell the club as inconsistent performances and results left one of Italy’s footballing giants miles off the title pace.

But the manner with which Conceicao has started his San Siro reign, replacing compatriot Paulo Fonseca just as Milan set off for Saudi Arabia and commandeering his new team to two fine wins over Juventus and Inter, has completely changed the atmosphere around the club.

Two goals down a minute into the second half of Monday’s final in Riyadh, few would have back Milan to bounce back against Italian champions Inter.

But Milan showed the sort of courage rarely seen this season to snatch victory deep in stoppage time, just as Conceicao did on his playing debut in Italy in 1998, when the Portuguese scored a last-gasp goal to win the Super Cup for Lazio.

Videos of Conceicao dancing for his players while smoking a chunky cigar in triumph immediately flew around social media and were shared by delighted fans in chat groups, celebrating an unexpected success and goading rivals Interisti who have lorded it over Milan in recent seasons.

“As soon as we got back into the dressing room the players asked me to dance and smoke a cigar because they knew that it’s my ritual when I win a trophy,” said Conceicao.

Combative, charismatic Conceicao fits the profile fans wanted in the summer when they demanded league-leading Napoli boss Antonio Conte and the 50-year-old now has to guide Milan to the Champions League spots.

Milan are eighth and trail fourth-placed Lazio, who host Como on Friday hoping to bounce back from a Rome derby defeat, by eight points having played two matches fewer.

One of those games in hand is at Como on Tuesday evening as the Super Cup contenders — the Milan clubs, Juventus and Atalanta — play the league fixtures they missed just after the turn of the year.

And Conceicao will see whether Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez‘s sensational performances against Inter are a sign of things to come from two players who frequently clashed with Fonseca.

“After this kind of win players can lose motivation and get complacent,” added Conceicao.

“That can’t happen because we need to keep showing that we have a winner’s attitude. Milan do not belong in seventh or eighth place in the league.”

Inter will try to cut the four-point gap separating them from Napoli at struggling Venezia where coach Simone Inzaghi will be without injured midfield talisman Hakan Calhanoglu.

However Marcus Thuram, who missed the Super Cup final, should be back for a packed schedule in which Inter host Bologna on Wednesday and then have two Champions League fixtures in as many weeks, with direct qualification for the last 16 yet to be secured.

Player to watch: Charles De KetelaereAtalanta enter a key period for their unprecedented Scudetto bid and star attacker De Ketelaere will be crucial with home clashes against Juventus and Napoli coming next week.

Belgium forward De Ketelaere has scored 10 times and set up nine more in all competitions this season and will line up alongside Ademola Lookman in an unusual strike pairing of two wingers at Udinese on Saturday afternoon.

Italy striker Mateo Retegui is unlikely to be back before the visit of Napoli and may yet miss next weekend’s clash at the Gewiss Stadium which will provide a serious test of their league title credentials.

Atalanta trail Napoli by three points but will play their game in hand on Tuesday against Juve, who first take on local rivals Torino on Saturday.

Team AC Milan in action© AFP

AC Milan travel to lowly Verona on Friday looking for some festive cheer as the seven-time kings of Europe battle inconsistent form and fan anger while local rivals and Serie A champions Inter Milan hit their stride. Expectant Milan supporters demand excitement and trophies and this season has so far provided very little of the former and is unlikely to end with the latter. Paulo Fonseca’s side sit eighth in Italy’s top flight, 14 points behind league leaders Atalanta — albeit with a game in hand — and are in disarray, with the coach seemingly at the end of his tether just six months into his San Siro tenure.

The Portuguese has had open conflict with senior players and questioned his squad’s commitment, repeatedly going after countryman and star winger Rafael Leao and dropping France full-back Theo Hernandez for a teenage academy player in last weekend’s dismal goalless draw with Genoa.

Meanwhile fans are on a war footing, attacking the owners on Saturday when a celebration of the club’s 125th birthday was marred not just by a poor match and the very obvious absence of Paolo Maldini among the iconic players parading on the pitch, but also chants demanding US investment fund RedBird sell up.

Supporters then turned up outside a private party for the anniversary, barracking most of the arriving players and displaying banners with messages like “a club with no ambition, you’re not worthy of our history”.

A by-product of those vociferous protests is that Fonseca takes Milan to Verona with his job reportedly on the line, with Italian media floating the likes of former national team boss Roberto Mancini as replacement should they leave the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi with anything less than three points.

That may not be a simple task as Verona were only denied a win at Juventus by a penalty in stoppage time last time out.

Milan’s troubles have been made worse for fans by Inter’s 6-0 hammering of Lazio, a statement win which showed that they are not going to give up their league crown lightly.

Third-placed Inter are three points behind Atalanta with a game in hand and host Como on Monday night, the final Serie A match before Christmas, with signs Simone Inzaghi’s players are ready to kick into another gear.

Inzaghi will be without injured star midfielder Nicolo Barella and defenders Francesco Acerbi and Benjamin Pavard but has strong deputies who have shown they can slot into the coach’s well-established system.

Atalanta host Empoli on Sunday defending a two-point lead on Napoli fresh from hammering Serie B outfit Cesena 6-1 in the Italian Cup and with a club record-extending 11th successive league win in their sights.

Player to watch: David Neres (Napoli)

Brazil international Neres has largely been left in a back-up role behind Khvicha Kvaratskhelia since signing from Benfica in August but has always impressed in his outings from the bench.

And Kvaratskhelia’s knee injury led to a rare start for Neres at Udinese, where he showcased his direct running and dynamism.

Neres will be in Antonio Conte’s starting XI for just the fifth time at Genoa on Saturday evening, where the hosts will be playing their first match since being acquired by Romanian business Dan Sucu on Wednesday.

Key stats

10 – Atalanta’s current winning streak in Serie A, a club record.

11 – The number of points that separate Milan from Inter.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Verona v AC Milan (1945)

Saturday

Torino v Bologna (1400), Genoa v Napoli (1700), Lecce v Lazio (1945)

Sunday

Roma v Parma (1130), Venezia v Cagliari (1400), Atalanta v Empoli (1700), Monza v Juventus (1945)

Monday

Fiorentina v Udinese (1730), Inter Milan v Como (1945)

AC Milan failed to honour the 125th anniversary of the club’s foundation with Sunday’s drab goalless draw with Genoa which left the seven-time European champions way behind Serie A’s top teams. Fiorentina also lost ground in the title race by falling to a 1-0 defeat at Bologna and missing the chance to claim a club-record ninth straight league win. In front of over 70,000 fans and a host of icons who had come to the San Siro to watch their former team and celebrate Milan’s birthday, Paulo Fonseca’s side did nothing to live up to a glorious footballing history.

Alvaro Morata came closest to scoring for Milan when he smashed a close-range finish off the crossbar with 11 minutes remaining of another uninspiring display which was met with derision from supporters and left Milan eighth on just 23 points — eight from the Champions League positions and 14 behind league leaders Atalanta.

“The players played with desire, they played like a team, the only thing that was missing was the goal,” insisted Fonseca.

“We were aggressive, won the ball back high up the pitch, we had a lot of shots but just couldn’t score.”

But fans chanted “we’re not Americans” at US owners Redbird and unfurled a banner which read “we honour our heroes, symbols of a Milan which no longer exists”, hardly what the club would have been hoping for when planning the pre-match ceremony for the anniversary.

Milan wore a vintage kit for the occasion and before kick-off a host of icons paraded on the pitch carrying some of the vast number of trophies won since the club’s foundation on December 16, 1899 as Milan Foot-Ball and Cricket Club.

Those included Dutch trio Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard, who under Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello played in one of the game’s greatest ever teams, and Andrea Pirlo who won Milan’s last Champions League in 2007.

The contrast between some of the names who came out before the match and those who actually played was stark, partly due to an injury crisis and also Fonseca’s dissatisfaction with his team.

Fonseca blasted his players after a lacklustre win over Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League and said he would select academy players if he couldn’t get the right attitude from his bigger names.

The Portuguese did just that by dropping France international Theo Hernandez for Spain under-19 international Alex Jimenez and giving 17-year-old Mattia Liberali his Serie A debut in place of injured Yunus Musah.

But the performance was not encouraging and unlikely to improve the already irritated Fonseca’s mood, nor that of the fans.

Fiorentina slip

Fiorentina are fourth, six points behind Atalanta with a game in hand following a first league defeat in three months, 1-0 at Bologna.

Sunday’s result moved Bologna up to seventh and three points behind Juventus, who sit in the Conference League spot, with a game in hand and gave coach Vincenzo Italiano a big win against his former club.

Italiano managed Fiorentina for three seasons, taking the Viola to two Europa Conference League finals and an Italian Cup final before joining Bologna in the summer.

“We’re growing as a team and our identity is starting to come through, especially defensively,” said Italiano. 

“To have conceded so little to this Fiorentina team is brilliant.”

Como are level on 15 points with Verona and Parma after two stoppage-time goals gave Cesc Fabregas’ side a surprise, but deserved 2-0 win over Roma.

Roma have improved since Claudio Ranieri returned for his third spell as coach last month but Sunday’s performance was a step backwards and left the capital club just two points above the bottom three.

“They did everything they could to win the match and we didn’t do enough to create opportunities… we could be tired for the number of matches we’ve played but I don’t like relying on excuses,” said Ranieri.

On Monday, Roma’s local rivals Lazio host champions Inter Milan with both teams level on 31 points with Fiorentina and hoping to stay in sight of Atalanta.

Atalanta take on AC Milan on Friday night with Serie A’s top spot in their sights and a growing belief that this could be their year for unprecedented Scudetto glory. A point behind current leaders Napoli, Atalanta are gunning for a club record-equalling ninth straight win in Italy’s top flight and are, for the first time in their history, genuine title challengers. Atalanta have never finished higher than third in Serie A, which they did three seasons in a row between 2019 and 2021 with a thrilling team featuring an all-action attack of Josip Ilicic, Duvan Zapata and Papu Gomez.

However the current line-up, still on a high from last year’s historic Europa League triumph and the division’s top scorers with 36 goals, looks capable of going even further in Gian Piero Gasperini’s ninth season as coach.

Atalanta have won 11 of 12 matches in all competitions — drawing the other — since the start of October and after Monday night’s 2-0 success at Roma, Claudio Ranieri said they were “ready, really ready” to fight for the league crown.

“Winning the Europa League really helped those who took part in it grow as players, and a lot of new faces have arrived who are also developing. That’s the reason for these results,” said Gasperini after his team hit Young Boys for six last month.

A win over Milan would put Atalanta top at least for two days as Napoli host Lazio on Sunday night, and equal a Serie A wins record established in 2020 when Bergamo was the European epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic.

That year Atalanta stunned Europe by reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where two late goals denied them a win over mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain and a spot in the last four.

Since then, Atalanta have kept building on and off the pitch, with the latest iteration of “Gaspball” being played out in the now fully refurbished Gewiss Stadium, one of the few grounds in Serie A owned by the club and not a public body.

Atalanta, a traditionally small, provincial club with fanatical support, host Real Madrid on Tuesday and have come so far under Gasperini and the guidance of the local Percassi family that few would be surprised by a win.

First up, however, are Milan, who are 10 points behind Napoli with a game in hand but have won their last three matches against the modest opposition of Slovan Bratislava, Empoli and Sassuolo, netting 12 times in the process.

Champions Inter Milan kick off the weekend’s action on Friday against Parma at the San Siro, Simone Inzaghi’s side set to play for the first time since last weekend’s match at Fiorentina was called off following Edoardo Bove’s harrowing collapse.

Both Inter and Fiorentina, who host Cagliari on Sunday, are three points behind Atalanta with a game in hand following a traumatic evening which reminded fans of former captain Davide Astori‘s sudden death in 2018. 

The Viola await an official diagnoses of what caused midfielder Bove, who is still in intensive care at Florence’s Careggi hospital, to lose consciousness.

Player to watch: Tijjani Reijnders

If Milan are to get anything from Bergamo, Tijjani Reijnders will be key as the Netherlands midfielder is in hot form and the one constant performer in Paulo Fonseca’s otherwise inconsistent side.

Reijnders smashed in his seventh goal of the season on Tuesday night as a largely second-string Milan outfit hammered Serie B leaders Sassuolo 6-1 in the Italian Cup, his third in two games after also netting a brace against Empoli last weekend.

The 26-year-old has a good claim to be Serie A’s best midfielder right now and will be up against it with Ederson and Marten de Roon making Atalanta fans forget Teun Koopmeiners’ big-money move to Juventus.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Inter Milan v Parma (1730), Atalanta v AC Milan (1945)

Saturday

Genoa v Torino (1400), Juventus v Bologna (1700), Roma v Lecce (1945)

Sunday

Fiorentina v Cagliari (1130), Verona v Empoli (1400), Venezia v Como (1700), Napoli v Lazio (1945)

Monday

Monza v Udinese (1945)

Juventus edged a tense derby against city rivals Torino 2-0 on Saturday to move within one point of the summit of Serie A, while AC Milan dropped points in an entertaining draw at Cagliari. Strikes in both halves from Timothy Weah and Kenan Yildiz were enough to give Juventus victory over their fellow side from Turin and send the Old Lady up to third in the table with 24 points. The victory, provisionally, leaves Juventus level on points with champions Inter Milan in second and one behind league leaders Napoli.

“It was another good performance where we brought the three points home,” Juventus coach Thiago Motta told Sky Sport Italia.

“I am happy both with the result and the performance, in a derby on home turf, and thank our fans for their support.”

With the pair in action against each other on Sunday, Juventus are ensured to have cut the gap to at least one of them this weekend.

However, Juve could nonetheless exit the Champions League places this week as Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio are all still to play, and trail Motta’s side by just two points.

Torino’s form has fallen off drastically in recent weeks after they had sat top of the table in September.

With one win in their last seven league outings, Torino now sit 11th in the league and 10 points adrift of their city rivals.

The deadlock was broken on 18 minutes when Weah tapped into an open net after Vanja Milinkovic-Savic had failed to hold onto Andrea Cambiaso‘s driven effort from wide on the left. 

Both sides struggled to create chances in a match that will likely not live long in the memory of either set of fans.

Yildiz then ended Torino hopes of a draw six minutes from time with a stooping back-post header.

‘A step backwards’

AC Milan fell further behind the title race after twice throwing away the lead in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Cagliari.

The Rossoneri remain seventh but are now four points off the Champions League places and seven behind pacesetters Napoli.

Rafael Leao scored twice in the first half to give Milan the lead after Nadir Zortea’s early opener.

Cagliari struck back soon after the break through Gabriele Zappa before Tammy Abraham restored the visitors’ lead, only for Zappa to score a sensational equaliser in the final stages.

“This draw is clearly a step backwards,” AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca said to DAZN, referencing his side’s midweek 3-1 victory in the Champions League against Real Madrid.

“Our problem today was our defence, we lacked aggression, we let them cross too much, we lost too many aerial duels, it’s not possible to win a match in those conditions.”

For the home side, the draw takes them to 16th place on 10 points, one clear of the drop zone.

Zortea gave Cagliari the perfect start on two minutes as he smashed home from the back post after a corner.

Leao brought Milan level 13 minutes later with a lobbed finish after being sent in behind the defence by Tijjani Reijnders’ excellent lofted pass.

The Portuguese winger then doubled up five minutes before the break as Youssouf Fofana released him with an accurate long ball to his feet and he rounded the goalkeeper to give Milan the advantage.

Nine minutes after the break Fofana was at fault as he inadvertently played Zappa in behind his own defence and the Cagliari player finished past the advancing Mike Maignan.

Abraham looked to have completed the comeback for Fonseca’s side with his second goal of the season when he tapped home on 69 minutes.

But Zappa equalised again for Cagliari with one minute left via a thumping volley from a looping cross.

Parma came from behind to beat bottom-of-the-table Venezia 2-1 away from home.

Hans Nicolussi Caviglia opened the scoring for the hosts but goals either side of the break from Emanuele Valeri and Ange-Yoan Bonny moved Parma up to 14th, three points clear of the relegation zone.

The pick of Sunday’s action is the trip of 2023 Scudetto winners Napoli to reigning champions Inter Milan.