AC Milan, Pulisic will need comeback to continue Champions League quest
AC Milan's mixed bag of a winter continued on Wednesday, with the club suffering a 1-0 defeat at Feyenoord in the first leg of their Champions League knockout playoff tie. An exit prior to the round of 16 would mark a disappointingly abrupt end to Milan's continental campaign, having entered the final day of the league phase with the chance to skip this initial round altogether before losing to Dinamo Zagreb and tumbling into the playoff.
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The Dutch hosts scored early Wednesday, with Brazilian winger Igor Paixão tucking a shot past Mike Maignan at the near point in the game's third minute.
Feyenoord did well to contain Christian Pulisic, who came off the bench on Saturday to provide two assists against Empoli. The U.S. international was industrious in his attempts to impact the game, but saw his teammates' passing lanes toward him cut down quickly to limit his touches. Pulisic exited the match in the 60th minute, having completed 18 of 22 passes and failed to attempt a single shot. He did manage to create one chance in the third minute, mere seconds before Paixão's goal.
While Pulisic was neutralized, his Concacaf-rival-turned-club-teammate Santiago Giménez struggled mightily in his first appearance against his former club. The Mexico international, who joined Milan from Feyenoord just nine days ago, took 24 touches — just seven in Feyenoord's box — and failed to convert any of his five dribbles. His sole attempted shot was blocked, while he drew two whistles for running into offside positions. Giménez exited in the 83rd minute to little noteworthy ovation or jeers.
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The defeat continues a difficult stretch for Milan, which replaced manager Paulo Fonseca with Sérgio Conceição in late December. Now three years removed from their last Scudetto, Milan sits seventh in the Serie A table, four points behind Fiorentina for the final European position but having played one fewer game than all teams above them. Pulisic has remained arguably their most impactful attacker in his second season, but has scored twice in his eight most recent appearances across all competitions.
The tie will conclude on Tuesday in the early Champions League time slot (12:45 pm Eastern) at the San Siro. Milan will see another U.S. international, Yunus Musah, return from his one-match suspension, as the midfielder drew a red card in the club's league phase finale against Dinamo Zagreb.
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With fellow esteemed Americans Weston McKennie (Juventus, up 2-1 on PSV Eindhoven) and Gio Reyna (Dortmund, up 3-0 on Sporting CP) having their clubs in the driver's seat after their respective knockout playoff first legs, Pulisic and Musah will have work to do to get a leg up on the hurdle standing between them and a last-16 date against either Inter Milan or Arsenal.
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