LECCE, Italy :AC Milan came from two goals down to win 3-2 at lowly Lecce in Serie A on Saturday, with midfielder Christian Pulisic levelling for the visitors from the penalty spot before netting the winner late in the second half.
Milan had two goals ruled out for offside inside 15 minutes, with Nikola Krstovic scoring for the hosts in between with a stunning shot from a distance for a 1-0 lead at halftime.
The Montenegro striker doubled Lecce’s lead before the hour mark but the home side then scored an own goal through defender Antonino Gallo before Pulisic pulled Milan level from the spot and sealed the win from close range shortly afterwards.
Milan, who arrived at Lecce on the back of three consecutive league defeats, moved up to eighth on 44 points after 28 games.
They are eight points off fourth-placed Juventus, who host Atalanta, in third, on Sunday.
Lecce, Serie A’s lowest scorers with 20 goals, sit 16th, three points above the relegation zone.
With the pitch still covered by smoke after the fans welcomed the teams with flares, Milan thought they had taken the lead 47 seconds from the opening whistle when Santiago Gimenez struck with his first touch from a Theo Hernandez pass.
The goal was chalked off for offside but the early scare did not intimidate the home side, who took a shock lead in the seventh minute with a beautiful Krstovic strike inside the right post.
Milan saw another goal ruled out for offside when Matteo Gabbia netted from close range after a Theo Hernandez free kick.
Lecce, who last scored on home soil in late December, could have increased the advantage when Krstovic hit the post after 21 minutes before Santiago Pierotti misfired two minutes later.
Krstovic finally doubled the lead after the restart, scoring with a first touch into the bottom left corner.
The hosts’ good fortunes started to decline when they scored an own goal in the 68th minute.
Halftime substitute Rafael Leao squared a lovely pass to Joao Felix from the left and the Portuguese forward struck from close range first time, before the ball ricocheted off Gallo and sailed into the net.
Milan were then awarded a penalty for a foul on Pulisic, which the United States international converted confidently in the 73rd minute to equalise.
Clearly fired up, he put Milan in front from point-blank range from another great cross by Leao nine minutes from fulltime.
Lecce have won only one home game against Milan in Serie A, in April 2006.
