MILAN, Italy — AC Milan staged a dramatic late comeback to draw 2-2 with Torino in their Serie A season opener at San Siro on Saturday, scoring twice in the final six minutes of regulation and stoppage time.
The match marked Paulo Fonseca’s competitive debut as Milan’s head coach. Fonseca opted to rest Theo Hernandez, starting Alexis Saelemaekers as a makeshift left-back against Torino’s 3-5-2 formation.
Torino took the lead in the 30th minute through an unusual play. Raoul Bellanova’s header from a Duvan Zapata cross looped onto the inside of the far post, bounced on the line, and was accidentally dragged over by Milan defender Malick Thiaw in his attempted clearance. The goal was confirmed by VAR after goal-line technology did not activate.
Milan had early chances, with Thiaw’s header cleared off the line by Adam Masina and Rafael Leao turning the rebound over in the sixth minute.
Torino doubled their lead in the 68th minute. Valentin Lazaro combined with Ivan Ilic down the left before crossing for Duvan Zapata, who headed home from six yards.
Milan’s comeback began in the 89th minute when Alvaro Morata, a second-half substitute, redirected Tijjani Reijnders’ shot past Torino goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
The equalizer came deep into stoppage time. Yunus Musah crossed from the right for fellow substitute Noah Okafor to volley in from 10 yards, securing a point for the hosts.
Earlier, Milan thought they had earned a penalty when Morata went down in the box, but the referee reversed his decision after a VAR review showed Saul Coco had won the ball cleanly.
The match saw several missed opportunities for both sides. Leao was denied one-on-one by Milinkovic-Savic in the first half, while Christian Pulisic failed to capitalize on a poor back-pass early in the second half.
Torino could have extended their lead when Yann Karamoh over-hit a pass for an unmarked Che Adams on a counterattack.
The result leaves both teams with a point from their opening fixture of the Serie A season. Milan will look to build on their late resurgence, while Torino will rue their inability to hold onto a two-goal lead.
Milan’s next match is away to Bologna, while Torino will host Genoa in their next Serie A fixture.
