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Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Genoa stun AC Milan at empty San Siro to boost survival hopes

Soccer Football - Serie A - AC Milan v Genoa - San Siro, Milan, Italy - March 8, 2020 Genoa's Goran Pandev celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates. The match is being played behind closed doors to spectators as the number of coronavirus cases grow around the world REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo

Relegation-battling Genoa moved out of the Serie A drop zone thanks to a surprise 2-1 win over AC Milan at an empty San Siro on Sunday.

The visitors raced into a two-goal lead before halftime after Goran Pandev and Francesco Cassata both turned in crosses from close range.

Milan rallied after the break as Zlatan Ibrahimovic pulled one back, but they could not find an equaliser in an eerie atmosphere at one of Italian football's most iconic stadiums and fell to their first home defeat since Nov. 3.

Soccer Football - Serie A - AC Milan v Genoa - San Siro, Milan, Italy - March 8, 2020 AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic in action with Genoa's Valon Behrami REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo

All Serie A matches are to be played behind closed doors until April 3 as part of measures introduced by the Italian government to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

The result leaves Milan in seventh place on 36 points, while Genoa moved above Lecce and into 17th place on 25 points.

At the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, a late double from Fabio Quagliarella earned Sampdoria a 2-1 comeback win over Hellas Verona that ended the visitors' nine-match unbeaten league run and kept the hosts one point above the relegation zone in 16th place.

Soccer Football - Serie A - AC Milan v Genoa - San Siro, Milan, Italy - March 8, 2020 Genoa's Davide Biraschi in action with AC Milan's Theo Hernandez REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo

Udinese and Fiorentina drew 0-0, with Fiorentina's defender Nikola Milenkovic coming closest when his volley thumped off the post in the first half.

(Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie; Editing by Toby Davis and Ian Chadband)

Soccer Football - Serie A - AC Milan v Genoa - San Siro, Milan, Italy - March 8, 2020 AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic in action REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
Soccer Football - Serie A - AC Milan v Genoa - San Siro, Milan, Italy - March 8, 2020 Genoa players celebrate after the match REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
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