ROME (AP) — Ending with nine men, struggling AC Milan was fortunate to come away with a 1-1 draw at home with Empoli on Sunday in the Serie A lunchtime fixture.
Former Roma forward Mattia Destro scored his first goal with Milan in the 40th minute at the San Siro but veteran Massimo Maccarone equalized in the 68th. Milan goalkeeper Diego Lopez was shown a red card for using his hand to deflect a shot outside the area in the 83rd and Rossoneri defender Gabriel Paletta limped off five minutes later with an apparent muscle problem after all three substitutions were used.Also, Milan defender Alex was brought to a local hospital with a broken nose following a collision eight minutes in. Milan, which has won only one of its last seven matches, is 10th — a massive 23 points behind leader Juventus, which was visiting relegation-threatened Cesena later.
Empoli, which was in Serie B last season, moved five points clear of the drop zone. "I'm trying to keep the lads calm but it's tough to accept a run like this. It takes patience," said Filippo Inzaghi, Milan's first-year coach. "We've been a bit unlucky lately."
Destro scored from close-range by redirecting a cross from Giacomo Bonaventura and Maccarone found the target with a header after being left unmarked by Paletta, another new Milan player. "We shouldn't allow a goal like the one Maccarone scored," Inzaghi said. "We need to mark man-to-man inside the area."
Empoli completed 170 more passes than Milan, according to Opta sports data. Also later, second-place Roma hosts Parma and Inter Milan visits Atalanta.
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