AC Milan squandered the chance to gain ground on their rivals for a top-four spot in Serie A as Boulaye Dia canceled out Olivier Giroud’s opener in a 1-1 draw with Salernitana in San Siro.
Slippages at Inter, Lazio and Roma gave Milan the chance to deliver a major blow in the Champions League race on Monday, and they looked ready to do so when Giroud headed the opener on the halftime shot.
However, Salernitana hit back via Dia just after the hour mark, before a VAR review denied Milan a penalty as Ismael Bennacer fell easily to Domagoj Bradaric’s challenge.
The result means Milan remain fourth, just one point behind fifth-placed Roma in a tense battle for Champions League qualification.
While Milan dominated possession from the start, Salernitana kept them quiet until the half hour mark, when Frenchman Giroud sent a kick over the crossbar.
Salernitana then squandered two chances at the break, Grigoris Kastanos’ effort deflecting wide after a loose pass from Mike Maignan, before the Milan keeper put in a fine last-minute challenge to stop Dia rounding it.
The visitors’ resistance was broken just before half-time when Giroud met Bennacer’s corner at the near post to head a header into the bottom left corner.
The visitors fought back after the restart as Bradaric led a break from Salernitana on the left, with his driven cross shot past Maignan by a Dia stretch.
Milan launched Zlatan Ibrahimovic in search of a winner and saw referee Federico La Penna reverse his decision to award them a kick, while Guillermo Ochoa denied Divock Origi a fine late save.
Ochoa was again involved as Milan came awfully close to a late winner, somehow snatching the ball away from the goal line after a scramble.
