Christian Pulisic shines as AC Milan 4-2 victory over Slavia Prague in Europa League match causes third red card.
AC Milan managed to secure a 4-2 victory over Slavia Prague at the Stadio San Siro. But it wasn’t just the scoreline that caught everyone’s attention. It was Christian Pulisic performance that proved to be the X-factor for Milan.
The game started with an aggressive pace as both teams fought to take control of the match. However, just 26 minutes in, Slavia Prague found themselves down to 10 men when defender El Hadji Malick Diouf was shown a straight red card for a late sliding challenge on Pulisic.
This wasn’t the first time Pulisic had caused an opponent to be sent off. In fact, it was the third consecutive red card for Slavia Prague in their last two matches, all thanks to Pulisic’s skillful presence on the field. After Friday’s match, Christian Pulisic isn’t going to have many new Lazio supporters. Reason being, he sent Lazio defender Luca Pellegrini off the pitch as the Rossoneri prevailed 1-0 in a furious Serie A encounter. Pulisic would receive yet another red card during second-half stoppage time in a match with Matteo Guendouzi, who received a straight red card for lash outs at the USMNT forward.
The 25-year-old American international, who joined Milan in the summer transfer window, proved to be a constant threat to Slavia’s defense. His lightning-quick movements and precise passes constantly troubled the opposition, leaving them with no choice but to resort to fouls and physical play.
Because nothing slipped off his radar, all the fans were obviously happy, even shouting his name throughout the game. However, the work of Pulisic was not merely centred around providing goal-scoring opportunities for his team. He even demonstrated his clinical finesse, netting the 4th goal for Milan in the 85th minute. It was truly a fantastic moment when he beat two opponents and finished off calmly with a nice shot that hit the back of the net.
In spite of playing with 10 men for most of the game, Slavia Prague managed to score with both Doudera and Ivan Shranz goals. However, this was not enough to hedge their dominance over Milan.
A red card to Diouf probably changed the game and AC Milan took advantage of that. On the negative side, the fact that Pulisic could make opponents concede fouls and lose their temper is a developing concern for Milan’s competitors. It appears that Pulisic has a special technique he uses or just pure skill and willpower that makes the opponents lose their balance.