A dramatic late comeback from Viktoria Plzen saw them clinch a 2-2 draw with AC Milan.
Late comeback stuns Milan in Czech Republic
A dramatic late fight back from Viktoria Plzen saw them clinch a 2-2 draw with AC Milan.
Two goals in a minute at the start of the second half from Pato and Robinho fired the Rossoneri into a 2-0 lead.
When David Bystron struck in the 89th minute it looked like little more than a consolation for the Czech champions.
But in injury time substitute Michael Duris equalised to send the home fans into raptures as they secured Europa League football.
Both sides had good chances in the first half but neither side could break the deadlock until Milan's quickfire double strike after the break.
Pato's shot went wide in the ninth minute before Plzen midfielder Vaclav Pilar blasted his shot over the bar from Pavel Horvath's corner.
Clarence Seedorf delivered a testing corner for Milan just before the half-hour but Pilar made a calm clearance at the near post to deny the Serie A side.
Mattia De Sciglio then blasted over the bar from 30 yards before Plzen missed a chance at the other end when Milan goalkeeper Marco Amelia caught Frantisek Rajtoral's strike.
Seedorf also fired over the bar from range before Pilar and Milan Petrzela were both off target for the home side as the first half drew to a close.
Comfortable
Pato scored two minutes into the second when he linked up with Robinho before rounding the keeper and sliding the ball into the open net.
The strike partners reversed roles a minute later when Pato set up Robinho for the second to give Milan a comfortable lead.
Robinho beat Plzen goalkeeper Marek Cech with a strike from the middle of the area which flew into the top of the net.
Milan were now dominating the clash, with Seedorf forcing a save from Cech with another 25-yard effort before Pato struck the post from the right of the box before Cech managed to save his follow-up effort.
Plzen midfielder Petrzela hit the post in the 57th minute before Rajtoral's long-range effort missed the target soon after.
The home side finally got onto the scoreboard with one minute remaining thanks to Bystron's close-range strike.
And Duris' equaliser two minutes into injury time completed the comeback as the Czech side secured a place in the Europa League round of 32.
| Viktoria Plzen |
Team Statistics |
Milan |
| 2 |
Goals |
2 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
6 |
| 12 |
Shots off Target |
5 |
| 2 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 8 |
Corners |
2 |
| 18 |
Fouls |
9 |
| 5 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 2 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 82.5 |
Passing Success |
84.1 |
| 19 |
Tackles |
27 |
| 84.2 |
Tackles Success |
88.9 |
| 41.3 |
Possession |
58.7 |
| 52.8 |
Territorial Advantage |
47.2 |
| 337 |
Total Passes |
496 |
| 27 |
Total Crosses |
14 |
| 135 |
Lost Balls |
135 |
| 69 |
Recoveries |
54 |
| 37.3 |
1st Half Poss. |
62.7 |
| 43.5 |
2nd Half Poss. |
56.5 |
|
