Roma Silences Christian Pulisic and AC Milan in Europa League's First Leg

 

UEL: Milan vs Roma - Getty Image

In a surprising turn of events, Christian Pulisic alongside his team AC Milan were muted by Roma, leading to a 1-0 loss in their Europa League encounter's initial leg.

"Roma claimed the upper hand in this quarter-final of the Europa League by securing a win at the San Siro, which serves as the first part of their two-legged tie. Despite being anticipated to dominate at home, Milan's failure to find the back of the net resulted in their downfall, courtesy of a Roma set-piece.

Just 17 minutes into the game, Roma found their breakthrough from a corner delivered by Paulo Dybala. His precise cross met Gianluca Mancini's head, who then directed the ball into the goal, leaving Mike Maignan powerless to stop it. Milan struggled thereafter to respond with a goal of their own.

A notable frustration for Milan was their lackluster offensive effort. Out of 25 attempts at goal, a mere five tested the target. This represents a dip in form for a Milan side that has recently been prolific, netting three against Lecce the previous weekend and amassing 14 goals in their past five endeavors.

"This match marked Milan's first failure to score since a defeat by Udinese in November, ending a streak of scoring in 29 consecutive matches across all competitions.

Christian Pulisic - Getty Image

Pulisic, who had been in remarkable shape for Milan, found little opportunity to shine during the match.

"Prior to this, Pulisic had been on a scoring spree, netting goals in five of his last six appearances for AC Milan, including strikes in both legs of their Europa League Round of 16 victory over Slavia Prague. "Despite only managing one shot in Thursday's defeat, he still played a role in creating opportunities as a facilitator.

After a standout performance against Lecce playing centrally, Pulisic reverted to his usual position on the right wing. During the game, he crafted four scoring opportunities and successfully completed 42 out of 47 pass attempts, although he was booked with a yellow card in the first half for impeding a counterattack.

Yunus Musah, Pulisic's teammate from the USMNT, did not take the field, with Milan opting to use only three out of their five substitutions.

With little time to dwell on the disappointment of Thursday's loss, Milan's attention shifts to an upcoming Serie A match against Sassuolo on Sunday. Afterward, their focus will return to the Europa League for the second leg of their tie against Roma, scheduled for April 18.