Kevin-Prince Boateng Hat Trick off Bench Propels AC Milan to 4-3 Comeback Win

AC Milan pulled off a stunning victory at the Via del Mare, where they won one of their last eight trips on Sunday, coming from 3-0 down at halftime to win 4-3 against Lecce.

It was a miserable first half for the defending champions. They went down three minutes in from a header off a free kick by Lecce captain Guillermo Giacomazzi which got the home side reeling.

Aside from a couple of chances, Milan seemed lacking throughout the first half, especially the first 25 minutes. They failed to get anything going, and Lecce got even more going for them.

Christian Abbiati took down Daniele Corvia, though Corvia was down before Abbiati even made contact with him, which allowed Massimo Oddo, on loan from Milan, to put Lecce up 2-0.

Seven minutes later, Carlos Grossmuller, despite appearing offside, made it 3-0 and seemed to put the finishing touches on a shocking day at the del Mare.

However, as AC Milan knows full well, a 3-0 halftime lead is not insurmountable.

Manager Massimiliano Allegri made two halftime changes, pulling off Robinho and Massimo Ambrosini for Alberto Aquilani and Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Only 30 seconds into the second half, Boateng nearly roped in a goal from about 25 yards out, but Massimiliano Benassi did well to deny him.

However, the more Boateng plays, the more he looks like he is becoming one of the greatest attacking midfielders in the world.

A corner kick in the 49th deflected to him in the far corner of the box and the 24-year-old sent a forceful, bending laser of a shot into the side netting to make it 3-1.

It only took another six minutes for Boateng to do it all again. He curled one into the top left corner from 20 yards out to pull Milan within one.

During this point of the game, Lecce really began to unravel. The discipline that was present in the first half was gone quickly. In the first 20 minutes of the half, the Wolves picked up four yellow cards.

The final card was given to Benassi, who was upset about Boateng's very strange goal in the 63rd minute. The ball rolled just inside the corner of the goal and barely made it over the line before Benassi could knock it out, but it clearly crossed over, securing a hat trick for Boateng which took only 18 minutes to complete.

Milan continued to control the game, with both Antonio Nocerino and Zlatan Ibrahimovic nearly getting a goal each in the 68th and 70th, but the fourth wasn't far off.

With seven of the 90 minutes left to play, Antonio Cassano played a ball to the head of center back Mario Yepes, who put the icing on the cake for the Rossoneri and sealed a 4-3 victory.

Milan's performance in the second half was the stuff of champions. They dominated the game, controlled possession and played like the champions of the 2010-11 season.

It was a complete team effort. For the last year, critics have been questioning Milan's attack as one of the most selfish in the world with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexandre Pato, Robinho, and Antonio Cassano. Ibrahimovic sparked life into the attack, despite not finding the goal. Antonio Cassano was absolutely brilliant, inspiring the club and providing two assists.

AC Milan are back. They have won their last three matches and are nearly at full health once again. Allegri's men are looking set to fight anyone who thinks they can take the Scudetto away from the defending champions.