Muriel’s last-gasp back-heel strike gives Atalanta 3-2 home win over Milan

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BERGAMO, Italy, Dec 9 (Reuters) – Atalanta snatched a 3-2 victory at home to AC Milan thanks to a back-heel flick in added time from substitute Luis Muriel after a double from striker Ademola Lookman in Serie A on Saturday.

Muriel struck in the 95th minute after Milan defender Davide Calabria had been dismissed for a second booking two minutes earlier.

“These plays are born in the moment. You don’t think about it, because even if you practise it you never know when an opportunity like that might happen,” Muriel told DAZN.

“It was a beautiful finale because we managed to take the lead and finally win,” he added.

Milan remain third on 29 points, seven points adrift of leaders Juventus, who beat visiting champions Napoli 1-0 on Friday, and six behind Inter Milan. Atalanta are seventh on 23.

“When you concede three goals, we didn’t work well as a team in the defensive phase. We took the game with intensity and quality, we had to bring home a positive result and we came out with a heavy defeat,” Milan coach Stefano Pioli told DAZN.

Lookman opened the scoring for the hosts with a right-foot shot from a central area that deflected off Milan defender Fikayo Tomori and flew past goalkeeper Mike Maignan in the 38th.

Milan equalised just before the break with Olivier Giroud’s superb header from a corner for his eighth league goal of the season.

Lookman netted his second 10 minutes after the interval with a clinical finish from Charles De Ketelaere’s cross-field pass. However, Milan made it 2-2 through Luka Jovic’s left-foot finish from Christian Pulisic’s cross into the box in the 80th.

But in stoppage time Calabria was sent off after being shown a second yellow card and shortly afterwards Muriel, who came on in the 82nd minute, gave Atalanta the win.

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