Goalkeeper Julio Cesar saved a last-minute penalty to rescue a point for 10-man Inter away to Brescia on Friday night.
Samuel Eto’o scored his 31st goal of the season to give the champions a first-half lead, before Andrea Caracciolo equalized six minutes from time, but then substitute Ivan Cordoba was sent off for bringing down Eder in the box, only for Cesar to save Caracciolo’s spot-kick.
In a bizarre finish, Caracciolo then also received his marching orders for a second yellow card.
Photo: AFP
The point means AC Milan can extend their Serie A lead to seven points if they beat rock-bottom Bari today.
Inter coach Leonardo claimed his side had deserved more than a draw.
“We had many chances and there could have been a different result,” Leonardo said. “In the first half, we played as we expected to, we went ahead and managed the game well, but in the second half we conceded a goal from a set-piece and that changed the game.”
Showing no ill-effects from the trauma and tragedy afflicting his homeland, Japanese fullback Yuto Nagatomo made a determined run into the Brescia box on 13 minutes, but his attempted cross deflected off Jonathan Zebina and goalkeeper Michele Arcari scrambled the ball behind for a corner.
The champions went in front on 18 minutes when Wesley Sneijder’s corner was flicked on by Andrea Ranocchia and Eto’o prodded home from inside the six-yard box.
Brescia’s best chance of an uninspiring first half came on 34 minutes when Panagiotis Kone played the ball into the box where Caracciolo lifted it over Cesar, but also the bar. The big striker was quickly involved again at the start of the second half as he got across his marker to head a right-wing cross just over the bar.
He then shrugged off Ranocchia only to be denied by Cesar under pressure from the back-tracking Dejan Stankovic.
Inter came quickly back into the game and Giampaolo Pazzini lashed wildly off target, before Arcari came out quickly to save at Goran Pandev’s feet. Sneijder then fired through a crowd of players, but hit his effort straight at Arcari.
Ten minutes from time, Pandev had another great chance from close range, but his shot hit Arcari in the face.
Just four minutes later, Alessandro Diamanti’s corner was headed back into the danger zone by Zebina and Caracciolo headed home from close range.
It could have got worse for Inter when Kone arrived at the back post to hit a volley that bounced just wide of the far post.
Then came the late drama as Diamanti sent Eder running in on goal and Cordoba clipped him from behind, earning a straight red card, but Cesar plunged to his right to stop Caracciolo’s penalty and earn a vital point.
Deep into stoppage-time Caracciolo was dismissed, before Stankovic got back to save Inter after Eder had rounded Cesar.
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