Pulisic makes momentous return from injury, combining with Musah to lead Milan to a late win over Juventus
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Juventus got the early breakthrough against AC Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana semifinal Friday, with the Old Lady's two young starlets combining for the game's opener. The sequence featured an incredible pass from 20-year-old winger Samuel Mbangula, who split the Milan defense with a perfectly weighted through ball. Turkish sensation Kenan Yildiz was on the other side, as he ran into the ball and smashed a near-post shot past Milan's Mike Maignan to make it 1-0 to Juventus.
Both sides had no shortage of chances from there, though. On the Juventus side, Dusan Vlahovic had a few good looks, but the Serbian striker was never quite able to put the game away. Milan, too, had a shot at equalizing, with an incredible look falling to Theo Hernandez midway through the second half.
Eventually, Christian Pulisic – who had been sidelined nearly a month with a calf injury – provided Milan's equalizer. After the USMNT star was hacked down in the box by Manuel Locatelli, Pulisic stepped up to the penalty spot. The American's shot wasn't great, but it was good enough to find the back of the net to make it 1-1 in the 71st minute.
Five minutes later, Milan seized the lead, with Yunus Musah playing a massive role. His attempted cross was redirected by Juve's Federico Gatti for an own goal, sealing a 2-1 win for Milan in new manager Sergio Conceicao's first game in charge.
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The match was Pulisic's first in about a month, with the American recently overcoming a calf injury. He certainly made his mark, too, with his goal from the penalty spot kickstarting Milan's comeback. The goal was his ninth of the season in all competitions, and it helped push Milan into a clash with heated rivals Inter in the competition's finale.
Pulisic went a full 90 mintues, earning a yellow card, with Musah coming on as a second-half substitute. Fellow USMNT star Weston McKennie, meanwhile, went 86 minutes for Juventus at his newfound left-back position.
AFPTHE MVP
It wasn't his most dynamic game, but Pulisic got the job done. His spot-kick ignited Milan's comeback, but that wasn't his only moment of danger throughout Friday's match.
Pulisic, of course, drew the penalty that he ended up converting while also creating another chance in the game. He put both of his two shots on target, had two passes into the final third and completed 26 of his 31 passes to spearhead the Milan attack.
AFPTHE BIG LOSER
Take your pick for Juventus. Is it Locatelli for his poor tackle on Pulisic? Is it Gatti for his unfortunate deflection on the own goal? Could it also be Vlahovic for missing opportunities to put the game away?
This was a game there for the taking, and Juve let it slip away as several individual mistakes combined for a collective defeat.
