Fiorentina salvages draw with Genoa on last kick of the game

Posted December 07, 2020 6:00 am

The Associated Press

FLORENCE, Italy (AP) - Nikola Milenkovic scored with the last kick of the game as Fiorentina salvaged a 1-1 draw with Genoa in a battle between two relegation-threatened Serie A teams on Monday.

Marko Pjaca put Genoa ahead in the 89th minute to set his team on course for what would have been its first win since the opening day of the season on Sept. 20.

However, there was plenty of added time in a game repeatedly delayed by injuries and video reviews, and Fiorentina made the most of it. Genoa missed repeated chances to clear the ball in Fiorentina's last desperate attack in the eighth minute of extra time and eventually the ball fell to defender Milenkovic, who saw his first shot blocked and poked in the rebound.

Genoa stayed 19th and in the relegation zone, two places and three points behind Fiorentina.

Fiorentina could have opened the scoring when Giacomo Bonaventura tapped in off a flick from Dusan Vlahovic in the 70th, but a video review ruled out the goal for a foul in the buildup.

Both teams sustained injuries in an attritional battle between clubs in danger of dropping into Serie B. Genoa played half an hour with a backup goalkeeper after Federico Marchetti went off hurt with an apparent thigh problem. Fiorentina took off midfielder Gaetano Castrovilli in the first half and Genoa had to replace defender Cristian Zapata.

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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Fiorentina's Cristiano Biraghi, left, and Genoa's Lukas Lerager in action during a Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Genoa, at the Artemio Franchi Stadium, in Florence, Italy, Monday, Dec. 7, 2020. (Jennifer Lorenzini/LaPresse via AP)] The Associated Press

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