AC Milan held Genoa despite Leao’s late equalizer and missed penalty

Rafael Leao’s stoppage-time header saved AC Milan from a 1-1 draw with Genoa at San Siro on Thursday, extending the hosts’ unbeaten run in Serie A after the visitor missed a late penalty mnh2.

Milan, who had gone 16 league games without defeat since losing on the opening day of the season, looked set to see that streak end when loanee Lorenzo Colombo put Genoa ahead against his parent club in the 28th minute. Ruslan Malinovskyi threw a perfectly weighted pass into the penalty area, allowing Colombo to get in front of Matteo Gabbia and poke home from close range.

“For me it is impossible to celebrate against Milan, against the team I grew up in,” Colombo told DAZN. “It’s too important a part of my life.”

Milan had started well, with Gabbia going close early on from a corner before Genoa goalkeeper Nicola Leali tipped his header onto the crossbar. That turned out to be the only real threat for the home team before they fell behind. Leali then denied Leao from close range, while Youssouf Fofana slipped as he tried to head in the rebound.

The hosts pushed after the break and thought they had equalized just before the hour, but a VAR review ruled out Gabbia’s header for a Christian Pulisic handball in the build-up. Leali continued to frustrate Milan and produced a fine save from a late Pulisic volley.

Leao finally broke Genoa’s resistance in stoppage time by leveling the score from a corner. There was still time for more drama when Davide Bartesaghi fouled Mikael Ellertsson deep into extra time and Genoa were awarded a penalty. However, substitute Nicolae Stanciu fired his penalty over the bar and spared Milan a late defeat.

«What we need to improve is to be patient against a team in real difficulties so that we don’t expose ourselves to a counter-attack like the one where we risked losing the match,» Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri said after the match.

The draw yielded little for either side. Milan remain second with 39 points, three behind leaders Inter, who defeated Parma 2-0 on Wednesday, while Genoa remains 17th with 16 points, three ahead of the relegation zone.

Published on January 9, 2026