Milan split points with the relegation race team

After drawing Tottenham 0-0 in the second leg of the 1/8 Champions League round, coach Stefano Piolo let Sandro Tonali rest on the field. Therefore, Milan did not have any Italian players in the starting line-up.

The Champions League quarter-finals did not have a positive psychological impact on the home team as expected. In the first half, Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud repeatedly missed opportunities.

Salernitana focused on defending, but also managed to put pressure on Milan's half. Boulaye Dia nearly scored for the visitors when taking advantage of Malick Thiaw's broken pass. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan had to leave the penalty area to save the ball for Milan.

In the first minute of compensation, Giroud put Milan ahead. From the corner, the French striker headed into the middle of the goal to beat Ochoa keeper.

But Milan entered the game sluggishly after the break. Thanks to that, Salernitana had space to get on the ball and then equalize. 61 minutes, after Domagoj Bradaric's pass from the left, Dia shot into the near corner to beat Maignan.

After Salernitana's equalizer, the referee gave Milan a penalty of 11m. But he withdrew his decision when referring to the VAR collision between Bradaric and Ismael Bennacer.

At the end of the game, Milan attacked in desperation. Goalkeeper Ochoa saved two goals for Salernitana before the shots from Divock Origi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Milan's best chance in the second half belonged to Alessandro Florenzi's header from close range in the 87th minute, but was blocked by the visitor's defender on the line.

The draw with Salernitana caused Milan to miss the opportunity to take Lazio's third place in Serie A. The defending champion is still fourth with 48 points after 26 matches, one point behind Lazio and two points behind second-placed Inter. The fifth ranked team Roma is only one point behind Milan.

Meanwhile, Salernitana has one more important point in the race for relegation tickets. Coach Paulo Sousa's team is ranked 16th with 26 points, seven points more than the group at risk of relegation.