Stephan El Shaarawy ended a 19-month goal drought and Jeremy Menez hit a second-half penalty to earn AC Milan a share of the spoils in a hard-fought 2-2 draw away to Serie A high-flyers UC Sampdoria on Saturday.
Milan had been looking for their first win in four games and traveled to Genoa expecting a tough encounter against a Sampdoria side who conceded their first defeat of the season, away to Inter, only two weeks ago.
El Shaarawy had missed most of last season due to injury problems and falling down the club’s pecking order following the signings of Mario Balotelli and Japan forward Keisuke Honda.
However, under the watchful eye of Italy coach Antonio Conte, the 22-year-old gave the visitors an early lead with a fine strike from the edge of the area.
Stefano Okaka stunned Milan when he bundled home an equalizer in the first minute of first-half stoppage time and after Eder gave Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side a 51st-minute lead, Milan grabbed a deserved equalizer when Menez beat Sergio Romero from the penalty spot after a Djamel Mesbah handball.
The prospect of dropping further down the table likely spurred the Rossoneri at what has been a difficult venue to pick up points, but El Shaarawy allayed fears with a fine strike in the ninth minute.
The Sampdoria defense backed off as the winger ran down the left flank and when he cut in he unleashed a drive that curled past Romero and inside the goalkeeper’s far post.
El Shaarawy dropped to his knees in a mixture of relief and disbelief, having last hit the net for Milan when he scored against Inter in February last year.
Samp then came close to leveling twice, through Eder and Manolo Gabbiadini, while Giacomo Bonaventura tested Romero with a low angled drive.
Milan looked to have done enough for a halftime lead, but were stunned when Okaka powered into the box to beat defender Daniele Bonera to Gabbiadini’s cross to bundle past Lopez.
Okaka had a hand in Samp’s second goal six minutes after the restart when he rose to meet a corner from the right. The ball came back off the post and Eder was quickest to the rebound as Milan vainly protested offside.
Honda paid for a mediocre display by being replaced with Fernando Torres just before the hour to partner Menez up front as Milan resorted to a 4-4-2.
The visitors began pressing for the leveler and were handed a lifeline minutes later when Mesbah handled Menez’s pass across the face of goal as he slid in to block in front of a hovering Bonaventura.
French international Menez stepped up to roll the ball past Romero for his first goal since hitting two in a 5-4 win away to Parma nearly two months ago.
Milan saw Bonera sent off for a second bookable offense five minutes from the whistle when he blocked Okaka’s run as the Italian powered toward he area.
Samp came agonizingly close to snatching a winner, but Lopez pulled off a great two-handed save to stop Roberto Soriano in the final minute when the midfielder unleashed a drive from the edge of the area.
In Saturday’s other game, US Sassuolo and Atalanta BC played out a goalless draw.
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