Pulisic Achieves Personal Best Scoring Season As He Puts AC Milan On Path To Win

MILAN: United States standout Christian Pulisic reached double figures in objectives for the primary time in a league season after his chic strike started AC Milan’s 3-0 win over 10-man Lecce in Serie A on Saturday.

Pulisic’s early purpose and tenth within the Italian league surpassed his earlier better of 9 within the 2019-20 English Premier League for Chelsea. The winger additionally has three objectives in Europe and had already bettered his total scoring report.

Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leão additionally scored towards Lecce, which performed all the second half with 10 males after ahead Nikola Krstović was despatched off.

Milan may even afford to ring the modifications within the second half with Thursday’s Europa League quarterfinal towards Roma in thoughts. Roma beat Lazio 1-0 within the capital derby later Saturday.

Second-placed Milan trimmed the hole to runaway Serie A pacesetter Inter Milan to 11 factors forward of the Nerazzurri’s match at Udinese on Monday.

Lecce remained 4 factors above the drop zone.

On a heat and sunny day at San Siro, Samuel Chukwueze did nicely to chop inside from the precise and beat two defenders earlier than discovering Pulisic on the sting of the realm. The American managed the ball and unleashed an unstoppable left-footed strike.

That was with lower than six minutes on the clock. Pulisic virtually doubled his tally instantly however Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone parried the header from point-blank vary.

Milan acquired the second within the twentieth when Yacine Adli whipped in a nook from the left and Giroud headed it in on the close to publish.

Lecce virtually pulled one again however Joan González’s header got here off the crossbar and the guests’ possibilities diminished on the stroke of halftime when Krstović was proven a straight pink card for a excessive deal with on Chukwueze.

Milan sealed the match within the 57th after Leão raced onto a Théo Hernandez throughball and fired it into the underside proper nook.

Hernandez additionally hit the crossbar seven minutes later, after Milan coach Stefano Pioli took off Pulisic, Giroud and Matteo Gabbia in a triple substitution.

FIRST DERBY AS COACH

Former Roma captain Daniele De Rossi received his first capital derby as a coach to finish his staff’s dismal run within the Derby della Capitale.

Roma hadn’t received or scored within the derby since a victory in March 2022. That was adopted by three losses and a draw, together with an Italian Cup defeat in January that successfully price coach Jose Mourinho his job.

Lazio had a good newer coach after Igor Tudor took over final month.

Gianluca Mancini scored the one purpose shortly earlier than halftime when he headed in a Paulo Dybala nook.

Stephan El Shaarawy additionally hit the publish for Roma within the second half, and Daichi Kamada had what would have been an equalizer dominated out for offside.

Roma and England ahead Tammy Abraham was introduced on with 9 minutes remaining for his first look since tearing a cruciate ligament within the last match of final season.

Fifth-placed Roma moved to inside two factors of Bologna and 9 above Lazio, in seventh.

___

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

(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)