Christian Pulisic, entering the game as a substitute, scored a late goal for AC Milan in their 1-0 victory against Genoa on Saturday, solidifying Milan’s two-point lead at the top of Serie A in a thrilling match. Pulisic teamed up with his United States compatriot Yunus Musah to find the net just three minutes before the final whistle.
In a surprising turn of events, Olivier Giroud, a fellow forward, played a crucial role in the game but in an unconventional position. In the 14th minute of injury time, Giroud made a vital double save while donning the goalkeeper’s gloves and jersey, filling in for the suspended Mike Maignan. Milan had already exhausted all their substitutions, so Giroud stepped up as the goalkeeper.
“I didn’t expect to experience these kinds of emotions at the other end of the field,” Giroud said with a smile and still wearing Maignan’s jersey.”
“But it’s very important to have made these saves. “I think I’m one of the tallest in the squad … so naturally I went in goal. I liked going in goal when I was a kid too. But it was a really special emotion when I made the save, almost like a goal.”
Genoa also had their goalkeeper sent off in a separate incident.
As the international break approaches, Milan will maintain their top position, holding a two-point advantage over their rivals, Inter Milan, who squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 against Bologna earlier on the same day. Juventus followed in third place, trailing Milan by four points, after securing a 2-0 victory over Torino in a local derby.
Despite numerous injuries, Milan’s coach, Stefano Pioli, decided to rest some of his players after their goalless draw against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. Milan’s star attacking trio of Pulisic, Rafael Leão, and Giroud began the match on the bench. Pulisic and Leão were introduced at halftime, while Giroud entered the game in the 66th minute.
Pulisic initiated the breakthrough when he skillfully controlled Musah’s cross with his back to the goal and then swiftly directed the ball into the bottom right corner. The goal was subject to a lengthy VAR review before being confirmed.
The drama continued with Milan’s goalkeeper, Maignan, receiving a straight red card in the eighth minute of stoppage time after a collision with Genoa’s forward, Caleb Ekuban. In response, Giroud assumed the role of goalkeeper, pulling Maignan’s shirt over his own as he did so.
Following a free kick resulting from the incident, Albert Guðmundsson came close to equalizing for Genoa, but the ball deflected off the crossbar. Fikayo Tomori then cleared another attempt for a corner.
Genoa’s goalkeeper, Josep Martínez, joined the fray but ended up fouling a player and was subsequently shown a yellow card and sent off as well.
With virtually the last kick of the match, Genoa came close to snatching an equalizer, but Giroud displayed remarkable goalkeeping skills by rushing off the line to save George Pușcaș’s shot before desperately smothering the loose ball. He was warmly embraced by his teammates in celebration.
Milan performance and stats
Milan
Milan is currently 1st in the Serie A with 21 points.
In the last 8 games, it has won 7 times and lost once. In its last match, Milan won 0-1 against Genoa.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 16 goals and conceding 8.
