AC Milan, occupying the third spot in Serie A, faced further setbacks in their title aspirations as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Atalanta on Sunday. Teun Koopmeiners' penalty equalized Rafael Leao's early stunning opener for the hosts.
This draw follows Milan's previous loss to mid-table Monza, squandering the opportunity to climb to second place. They now trail leaders Inter Milan by 13 points, who secured a resounding 4-0 victory over Lecce earlier in the day and still possess a game in hand.
Stefano Pioli's side maintains their third position with 53 points from 26 matches, trailing second-placed Juventus by four points.
Atalanta, with one additional game to play compared to the teams ahead, sit fifth with 46 points, just two points behind Bologna in fourth.
Milan took an early lead through Leao's exceptional solo effort, finding the top corner from a tight angle in the third minute, breaking his Serie A goal drought of five months.
However, Atalanta leveled the score from the penalty spot just before halftime, as Koopmeiners calmly dispatched the penalty after Olivier Giroud's foul.
Despite dominating possession with 70%, Milan struggled to convert their chances against Atalanta, who entered the match on the back of five consecutive wins and an unbeaten record this year.
Although Milan created numerous opportunities, with Leao providing a brilliant assist to Christian Pulisic, whose effort narrowly missed the far post in the 69th minute, they were unable to secure the win. Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi denied Ruben Loftus-Cheek's attempt, further frustrating Milan's efforts.
Atalanta will return to San Siro on Wednesday to face Inter.
(With Reuters inputs)
