ROME — Rafael Leao capitalized on his opportunity in AC Milan’s lineup after a surprising absence from the starting eleven, netting two goals and assisting a third in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Cagliari in Serie A on Saturday. Despite Leao’s impressive performance, Milan faced challenges against the relegation-threatened Cagliari, merely four days after their victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League.


The spotlight prior to the match was predominantly on 16-year-old Francesco Camarda, who was given a chance to start at center forward due to an injury affecting Alvaro Morata. However, it was Leao who ultimately stole the show. Cagliari took an early lead with a goal from Nadir Zortea just two minutes into the match. Yet, Leao quickly responded, scoring twice before the halftime break.


Leao’s first goal came via a deft lob, beautifully set up by Tijjani Reijnders. His second was a result of skillful dribbling around the goalkeeper after receiving a through ball from Youssouf Fofana. Following the intermission, Gabriele Zappa brought Cagliari back on level terms shortly after the game resumed. But Milan regained their advantage with a strike from Tammy Abraham, who had recently substituted for Camarda.


The sequence started with Leao playing the ball from deep in Milan’s half, leading to Abraham scoring by redirecting a rebound from a shot taken by Christian Pulisic. However, Zappa answered back, adding another goal to his tally with an impressive volley. Currently, Milan occupies the seventh spot in the standings, three points shy of Juventus, who were set to face Torino later that day.


In a match featuring two promoted teams, Parma emerged victorious by coming from behind to secure a 2-1 win against bottom club Venezia. Emanuele Valeri and Ange-Yoan Bonny found the back of the net after Hans Nicolussi Caviglia had put Venezia ahead just five minutes into the contest.


In other news, Lecce opted to part ways with head coach Luca Gotti following a 1-1 draw against Empoli on Friday, marking a significant coaching change in the relegation zone. The southern Italian club has not yet announced a successor. This marks the second coaching shake-up in Serie A, following the replacement of Daniele De Rossi by Ivan Juric at Roma.