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July 8 (UPI) -- Zlatan Ibrahimovic sparked a run of three goals in five minutes to help AC Milan stage a comeback and beat Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus in a dramatic Serie A clash in Milan, Italy. Ronaldo put Juventus ahead 2-0 with a goal in the 53rd minute before the rally resulted in a 4-2 win for Milan Tuesday at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium.
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"We all believed, even when we were down 2-0," Ibrahimovic told ACMilan.com. "In the end we got what we wanted.
"We didn't want to settle for a draw."
The Italian squads played a scoreless first half before Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot drew first blood in the 47th minute. Rabiot raced up the right flank and swerved around several defenders during that electric sequence. He then cut his dribble toward the middle of the field before he curled a 20-yard shot into the upper-right corner of the net.
Ronaldo doubled the Juventus lead about six minutes later. Juventus right back Juan Cuadrado lifted a beautiful pass over two defenders and ahead for Ronaldo on that play. Ronaldo finished the sequence with a left-footed shot into the near-post netting.
Juventus then had a handball in the box to reward Milan with a penalty kick. Ibrahimovic stepped up to the mark and smacked a shot into the left side of the net in the 62nd minute.
Milan equalized in the 66th minute. Ibrahimovic played a short pass off to Franck Kessie while inside the Juventus box during that play. Kessie navigated between several defenders before he ripped a shot into the near-post netting to tie the score.
Substitute Rafael Leao gave Milan a 3-2 advantage with another score in the 67th minute. Leao collected a loose ball while about 40 yards from the Juventus net on that play. He then dribbled into the box and placed a shot though a narrow window between Juventus keeper Wojciech Szczesny and the left post.
Milan striker Ante Rebic scored the final goal of the match in the 80th minute. Rebic ran into the box before he received a short pass from Giacomo Bonaventura. He finished the play with a one-touch shot to beat Szczesny from point-blank range.
"We had 60 good minutes: We were in control of the game, then there was a blackout on which there is no need to dwell upon, as we have another match in a few days," Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri told reporters.
"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."
Juventus still leads Lazio by seven points in the Serie A standings. Milan sits in fifth place. Juventus battles Atalanta at 3:45 p.m. EDT Saturday in Turin, Italy.
