JUVENTUS missed the chance to take a big step toward a ninth successive Serie A title as it let a two-goal lead slip away in a surprising 4-2 loss at AC Milan on Tuesday.

After second-place Lazio lost 2-1 at relegation-threatened Lecce earlier, Juventus could have extended its lead at the top of the table to 10 points with a win.

“We had 60 good minutes. We were in control of the game, then there was a blackout. No need to dwell on that as we have another match in a few days,” Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri said.

“It has happened to other teams, because this is a difficult time for everyone, physically and mentally. We must remain calm, also because the reasons for certain situations are difficult to find.”

Milan moved up to fifth, boosting its chances of securing a Europa League spot.

“If I had been here from the first day, we would have won the title,” said Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who arrived in January.

A tight first half finished scoreless after Ibrahimovic had a goal ruled out for offside shortly before the break.

But Adrien Rabiot broke the deadlock two minutes after the restart by curling a strike into the top right corner. And Cristiano Ronaldo doubled Juve’s lead six minutes later.

However, Milan turned the match around in the space of five minutes.

First Ibrahimovic converted a penalty in the 62nd minute following a handball from Leonardo Bonucci. Then came quickfire goals from Franck Kessie and substitute Rafael Leao.

Milan extended its advantage 10 minutes from full time when Giacomo Bonaventura capitalized on an error from Juventus defender Alex Sandro to set up Ante Rebic.

Lecce missed a penalty and also had a goal disallowed, but still managed an upset win over title-chasing Lazio. Fabio Lucioni and Khouma Babacar scored for Lecce after Felipe Caicedo had given Lazio an early lead.

Lazio’s bad night was made worse when defender Patric was sent off for biting Giulio Donati in an incident that could lead to a lengthy ban.

Lazio was just a point behind Juventus when the season was halted because of the coronavirus pandemic. It was on a record unbeaten run of 21 straight matches but the capital side has lost three of its five matches since the season resumed. “The break penalized us, we are not the same as before, especially on a mental level,” Lazio forward Ciro Immobile said.

(SD-Agencies)