Pulisic returns from injury as Milan squanders 2-0 lead to draw with Parma

MILAN (AP) — United States international Christian Pulisic returned from injury and came close to scoring the winner for AC Milan in a 2-2 draw at relegation-threatened Parma on Saturday after the visitors squandered an early 2-0 lead.

The point moved Milan level with defending champion Napoli, which faces a tricky trip to Bologna on Sunday.

Inter Milan and Roma were a point further back and also play Sunday, against Lazio and Udinese, respectively.

Juventus was left in fifth, three points behind the top two, after a 0-0 draw at home to Torino in a derby match.

Milan would have gone top with a win and took the lead in the 12th minute. Christopher Nkunku laid the ball off to Alexis Saelemaekers, who cut inside and drilled a precise shot into the bottom left corner.

Saelemaekers also earned the penalty that saw the Rossoneri double their lead in the 25th although it was needless from Parma as the Belgium winger was dribbling his way toward the byline when he was fouled by Iliman Ndiaye.

Rafael Leão stroked the ball into the bottom left corner.

Milan appeared to be in complete control but Parma got back into the match in first-half stoppage time when Adrián Bernabé curled a left-foot strike into the far top corner from the left edge of the area.

And Parma leveled in the 62nd minute when Enrico Delprato headed in Sascha Britschgi’s cross.

Pulisic was brought on in 70th minute for his first appearance in nearly a month, following a hamstring injury on international duty.

And he almost had a decisive impact six minutes later as he raced onto Leão's backheeled flick and only had the goalkeeper to beat, but fired just past the right post.

It was a precious point for Parma which moved two points above the drop zone.

Both goalkeepers were decisive as Juventus was held to another disappointing draw.

Torino goalkeeper Alberto Paleari pulled off a quick reaction save to keep out a header from U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie.

His Juventus counterpart Michele Di Gregorio had earlier denied Ché Adams with a one-handed save.

Juventus won Luciano Spalletti’s first match in charge — 2-1 at Cremonese last weekend — but was held to a draw by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Lecce and Hellas Verona played out a 0-0 draw which did little to help either side at the wrong end of the table.

Verona remained winless and second from bottom in the standings, two points from safety and four below Lecce.

Cagliari remained level with Lecce after also holding Como to a goalless draw. Como was just three points below the top four ahead of the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Juventus' head coach Luciano Spalletti, left, and Torino's coach Leonardo Colucci ahead of the Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Torino, in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus' Weston McKennie, left, fights for the ball with Torino's Valentino Lazaro during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Torino, in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)

Parma's Adrian Bernabe scores a goal on Milan during the Serie A soccer match in Parma, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

AC Milan's Rafael Leao celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Parma and Milan in Parma, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

AC Milan's head coach Massimiliano Allegri, left, and Parma's head coach Carlos Cuesta greet each other prior to the Serie A soccer match between Parma and Milan in Parma, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

NEW DELHI (AP) — India has begun the world’s largest national population count, which could reshape welfare programs and political representation across the country.

The previous census in 2011 recorded a population of 1.21 billion. It's now estimated to be more than 1.4 billion, making India the most populous nation.

The new census had been planned for 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical challenges.

Here’s how India’s census works and why it is significant:

The first phase of the count started Wednesday and will roll out around the country through September. The workers will spend about a month in each area collecting information on homes and available facilities and will document housing stock and living conditions.

The exercise will blend in-person surveys with a digital option where residents can submit information through a multilingual smartphone application that integrates satellite-based mapping.

The second phase to be conducted from September to next April 1 will record more detailed information like people's social and economic characteristics, including religion and caste.

More than 3 million government workers are expected to be deployed over the course of the year. In 2011, nearly 2.7 million enumerators surveyed more than 240 million households nationwide.

The second phase of the census will attempt a broader accounting of caste beyond historically marginalized groups.

Caste is an ancient system of social hierarchy in India and is influential in defining social standing and deciding who gets access to resources, education and economic opportunity. There are hundreds of caste groups based on occupation and economic status across India, particularly among Hindus, but the country has limited or outdated data on how many people belong to them.

The last attempt to gather detailed caste information through a census dates to 1931, during British colonial rule. Since independent India’s first census in 1951, it counted only Dalits and Adivasis, members of marginalized groups known as scheduled castes and tribes.

Successive governments have resisted conducting a full caste count, arguing it could heighten social tensions and trigger unrest.

Population data collected through the census underpins the distribution of government welfare programs and a wide range of public policies.

It could also prompt a redrawing of India’s political map, as seats in the lower house of Parliament and state legislatures may be increased to reflect population growth. A 2023 law reserves one-third of legislative seats for women, so any expansion would raise the number of seats set aside for female representatives.

Irfan Ahmad checks census registration online at a registration center as the street is reflected on the glass in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

A Muslim woman checks her census registration online at a registration center in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

FILE -Mahesh Shah, left, stands as his family members look while census worker Rumima Das, writes the information on a paper on the first day of the national census at Ramsingh Chapori village, east of Gauhati, India, April 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath, File)

FILE - Indians crowd ticket counters at a railway station in Ahmadabad, India, Oct. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)