MILAN — Juventus is cementing its status as a team that frequently settles for draws, while AC Milan is emerging as the masters of comeback victories.
Juventus faced Atalanta on Tuesday and ended with a 1-1 scoreline, marking its seventh draw in the last eight league matches and a total of 13 draws out of 20 Serie A games this season. Despite this streak of draws, Juventus still maintains an unbeaten record in Serie A.
Meanwhile, AC Milan rallied to secure a 2-1 victory over nearby Como. Atalanta’s performance allowed them to match the points total of second-placed Inter Milan, who have played two fewer matches, and keep within four points of league leaders Napoli.
Currently, Milan is just three points behind Juventus, who they will meet in Turin this Saturday. Milan, however, may be without the services of key player Christian Pulisic, who exited the match against Como just before halftime due to injury.
In the contest in Bergamo, Juventus opened the scoring in the 54th minute thanks to an impressive play from Weston McKennie. The American midfielder made a great run to receive a long pass before assisting Pierre Kalulu, who scored by firing the ball past Marco Carnesecchi at the near post.
Kalulu had nearly scored moments earlier, hitting the inside of the far post with a header, which then rolled perilously close to the goal line before being cleared by Carnesecchi. TV replays indicated that mere millimeters were left on the line, with almost the entirety of the ball having crossed.
Mateo Retegui returned from injury in the 65th minute and made an instant impact, leveling the score for Atalanta in the 78th minute with his 13th goal of the season, placing him at the top of the league’s scoring charts.
A momentous goal from Theo Hernández propelled Milan to a comeback victory, marking the third time they flipped the game in four matches under the leadership of Sérgio Conceição, who celebrated his first Serie A victory as head coach.
Taking over for the dismissed Paulo Fonseca at the end of last year, Conceição got off to an exhilarating start by leading Milan to the Italian Super Cup triumph with two comeback wins in the span of just over a week. However, this momentum faced a setback with a 1-1 draw against relegation-struggling Cagliari just last Saturday.
The match against Como started with Milan going behind, courtesy of newcomer Assane Diao, who scored on his first start by darting down the right and finishing into the low corner.
Hernández, who had been somewhat culpable for not defending well against Diao, made amends with a stunning equalizer in the 71st minute. This was his 30th career goal in Serie A, enabling him to surpass Paolo Maldini as the defender with the most goals in the league.
Just five minutes after leveling the match, Milan turned the tables completely when Rafael Leão skillfully reached Tammy Abraham’s through ball, lifting it over Como’s goalkeeper Jean Butez to secure the win.
Hernández and Leão are vital components of the Milan squad, yet both faced challenges during the first half of the season due to their conflicts with former coach Fonseca.
