Soccer Football - Serie A - AC Milan v AS Roma - San Siro, Milan, Italy - December 29, 2024 AC Milan's Matteo Gabbia in action with AS Roma's Artem Dovbyk REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
MILAN, Italy (Reuters) -AC Milan played out a 1-1 draw at home against AS Roma in a hard-fought and heated Serie A clash on Sunday, where an early goal from Tijjani Reijnders was equalised shortly after by a stunning volley from Paulo Dybala.
The result put Milan eighth with 27 points, 14 behind Atalanta and Napoli at the joint top, while Roma are 10th with 20 points.
The atmosphere at San Siro was intense, with eight yellow cards issued as the two teams played out the final match of the year.
Artem Dovbyk tested Milan and goalkeeper Mike Maignan in the opening minutes, firing a low shot that struck the base of the post.
Milan broke the deadlock after 16 minutes when Youssouf Fofana advanced into the box and played the ball across to Reijnders, who fired it in with a first-time shot.
Seven minutes later, Roma responded with a moment of football magic inside the box when Dovbyk flicked the ball with a clever back-heel, lifting it into the air to set up Paulo Dybala who sent a perfect volley into the net to even the score.
The first half grew heated just before the break when Reijnders went down inside the box, but the referee waved play on. Milan coach Paulo Fonseca's protests led to his dismissal for dissent.
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Milan welcomed Ismael Bennacer's return in the second half, marking his first appearance since suffering a serious calf muscle tear in August. Shortly after, Dovbyk tested Maignan once again with a shot from a tight angle, but the French goalkeeper was quick to react and denied the effort.
The hosts then took control of the match, with Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar making several key saves, including a stunning diving stop to deny Samuel Chukwueze just before the hour mark.
In the final stages of the match, the momentum shifted back to Roma, with Stephan El Shaarawy seeing his effort saved by Maignan.
Eldor Shomurodov's header from a free kick was expertly tipped onto the crossbar by Maignan minutes before time, though the Roma substitute was already flagged offside.
Dybala missed the chance to be the hero for Roma in the final moments, blasting a shot just over the bar in stoppage time.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
