Woodwork denies AC Milan victory at Chievo

Ignazio Abate and Andrea Bertolacci were both denied by the crossbar within seconds as AC Milan were denied a Serie A victory at Chievo.Defender Abate and midfielder Bertolacci struck the woodwork in quick succession 16 minutes from time at the Stadio Marc Antonio Bentegodi as Milan eventually had to make do with a 0-0 draw.The visitors went into the game looking to close the gap on the top five by bouncing back from last weekend's 2-0 defeat at Sassuolo, but were ultimately frustrated in a tight and competitive encounter.They were indebted to substitute goalkeeper Christian Abbiati, who had replaced the injured Gianluigi Donnarumma early in the first half, for important saves from Antonio Floro Flores and Riccardo Meggiorini within minutes of his introduction.Keisuke Honda went close with a free-kick at the other end as the half-time whistle approached and Giacomo Bonaventura fired just too high from distance five minutes after the restart as Milan responded.Abbiati was called upon to claim Valter Birsa's 54th-minute effort, but the visitors had stepped up a gear and came desperately close to the opening goal when Abate and Bertolacci struck the goal-frame inside a minute.However, they very nearly lost it at the death when Chievo's Fabrizio Cacciatore fired home in the final minute of normal time, only for an offside flag to ruin his celebrations.The home side have now won just twice in 10 league outings, but they at least emerged with something to show for their efforts after their 3-1 defeat at high-flying Napoli last Saturday.