Juventus have once again demonstrated that, in Turin, the final whistle is apparently only a suggestion. Federico Gatti climbed highest in the second minute of stoppage time to rescue a 1-1 draw against AC Milan on Sunday, denying the visitors a victory that had seemed increasingly likely and preserving Juventus’ unbeaten start to the Serie A campaign.
The result leaves both clubs on seven points after three matches, with Milan ahead of Juventus on the league table by the relevant ranking criteria. Milan had taken control when 19-year-old Alphadjo Cisse finished confidently after receiving Samuel Chukwueze’s cross, but Juventus refused to accept the proposed ending.
MILAN THOUGHT THE JOB WAS DONE — JUVENTUS DISAGREED
For much of the second half, Milan looked to have done enough to take all three points. Cisse’s 68th-minute strike gave the visitors the lead after he controlled Chukwueze’s cross-field delivery, created room and fired into the far corner. The teenager, already on the scoresheet on the opening day, appeared ready to add another chapter to his remarkable start.
But Juventus had other plans, and apparently those plans involved waiting until everyone had begun mentally calculating the league-table consequences. Teun Koopmeiners delivered a cross from the left, Gatti rose above the defence and powered his header home in the 90th+2 minute. Milan had spent almost the entire evening holding the advantage, only for it to evaporate at precisely the moment when three points were beginning to look safely packed for the journey home.
GATTI TURNS DEFENDER INTO EMERGENCY GOALKEEPER OF MILAN’S HOPES
Gatti’s intervention was particularly timely for Juventus, who have developed a rather entertaining relationship with late drama. The defender had already shown this season that he is perfectly comfortable appearing in dangerous areas when the clock is running out, making Sunday’s equaliser another reminder that Juventus can find goals from unexpected sources.
For Milan, meanwhile, the draw will feel like two points quietly escaping through a window that nobody remembered to close. The visitors had the lead, the momentum and the opportunity to move clear, but Juventus’ late response ensured that neither side could claim superiority. With both teams now sitting on seven points from three matches, the early Serie A race remains finely balanced — and increasingly unwilling to respect anyone’s plans for a peaceful Sunday evening.
Juventus therefore leave the encounter unbeaten, while Milan leave with a point and the uncomfortable knowledge that a match can remain dangerous until the referee actually ends it. OGM News FC will continue to watch this developing Serie A story closely, because if Gatti has already decided that stoppage time belongs to him, defenders across Italy may soon be checking the clock with considerably more anxiety.
