On This Day in 2024, the American Scored Directly from a Corner as Milan Secured Their First Champions League Points of the Season
Christian Pulisic arrived at the 2024-25 season carrying the momentum of his breakthrough campaign in Italy. After establishing himself as one of Serie A's elite attacking players the previous year, the American winger wasted no time picking up where he left off. He opened his account with a goal in the defeat to Parma on August 24, then added both a goal and an assist in the 4-0 thrashing of Venezia on September 14.
But it was what followed that truly captured attention. Pulisic scored in Milan's Champions League opener against Liverpool on September 17, despite the 3-1 loss. Five days later, he produced perhaps his most memorable moment in Rossoneri colors to that point—dribbling past four Inter defenders in a stunning solo effort to open the scoring in the Derby della Madonnina, a 2-1 victory that sent San Siro into raptures. He followed that with another goal against Lecce on September 27, then a spectacular volley in the loss to Fiorentina on October 6.
The Fiorentina match provided drama beyond Pulisic's goal. Twice, Milan earned penalties, and twice, teammates Théo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham controversially took the penalties from the American. Both missed. Manager Paulo Fonseca was livid after the match, making his position crystal clear: "Of course I am upset. Christian should take penalties. It must never happen again, and I told the players." The streak of contributions continued regardless—Pulisic became the first player from a top-five European league to contribute to a goal in seven consecutive league matches.
As Milan prepared to welcome Club Brugge to San Siro on October 22, the stakes could not have been clearer. Two opening defeats to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen had left the Rossoneri pointless in Europe's premier competition, making the match against the Belgian side an early must-win fixture. With a daunting trip to face Real Madrid looming next, Fonseca knew his team needed to capitalize on what looked like a favorable stretch of fixtures ahead.
The coach struck an optimistic tone in his pre-match press conference, suggesting he was beginning to see glimpses of the system he envisioned taking shape. But optimism needed to translate into results. Milan had just ground out a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Udinese three days earlier, playing more than an hour with ten men after Tijjani Reijnders' red card. The gritty win demonstrated character but left little room for rotation management ahead of the European fixture.
The first half of the October 22 match unfolded without much rhythm or clear-cut chances for either side. Milan controlled possession but struggled to break down Brugge's well-organized defense. Then, in the 34th minute, something extraordinary happened.
Pulisic positioned himself to take a corner on the left side, opting for his usual low, whipped delivery aimed toward the near post. The inswinging ball curved dangerously toward goal, somehow evading every runner making their way into the box. Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet misjudged the flight completely. The ball sailed past his desperate attempt at a save and bounced into the net despite a futile clearance attempt on the goal line.
An Olimpico goal—scored directly from a corner without anyone touching it. The first of Pulisic's career.
The American's reaction said everything. He raised his arms with a broad smile spreading across his face, appearing almost incredulous as teammates rushed to embrace him while he laughed. The goal registered a 0.00 expected goals rating, the kind of moment that only happens when fortune smiles on form.
"Today I was a bit lucky, but it still counts as a goal," Pulisic admitted afterward with a laugh, speaking in Italian. "I didn't try to score directly, but it was a good cross and then a nice goal came out."
The match took another favorable turn for Milan six minutes later when Raphael Onyedika received a red card, leaving Brugge to play most of the contest with ten men. Yet the visitors refused to fold. Kyriani Sabbe stunned San Siro by equalizing in the 51st minute, threatening to derail what should have been a comfortable evening. Milan needed a response, and Reijnders provided it emphatically. Twice in quick succession, he found the net, both times set up by substitutes Noah Okafor and Samuel Chukwueze, to secure a 3-1 victory and Milan's first Champions League points of the season.
There was a brief late scare when Pulisic required assistance leaving the field after taking a knock to his knee, causing visible concern on Fonseca's face. But the American returned to action and nearly doubled his tally before the final whistle. The win provided much-needed relief and confidence for a Milan side that had endured a rocky start to their European campaign. The Olimpico took Pulisic's tally to an astonishing 10 goal contributions in his previous 10 matches for club and country combined. It marked his seventh goal of the season across all competitions and his second in three Champions League appearances after scoring against Liverpool in the tournament opener.
For Pulisic, the goal was simply the latest installment in what was rapidly becoming a career-defining campaign. His five Serie A goals and three assists in eight league matches had him on pace to eclipse even his impressive previous season's numbers. He had also registered an assist in Mauricio Pochettino's debut as USMNT manager earlier in October.
"I work very hard every day and I always want to be decisive in the matches," Pulisic reflected. "I'm scoring a lot of goals and assists, I hope to continue like this."
The numbers told the story of a player operating at the absolute peak of his powers. Where the previous season had represented a renaissance after his struggles at Chelsea, this campaign was confirming that the transformation was no fluke. Pulisic had evolved into one of Europe's most dangerous attacking players, a consistent difference-maker capable of producing magic in the biggest moments.
With the Champions League breakthrough secured, Milan could turn their attention to building momentum in Europe while maintaining their Serie A form. The daunting visit to Real Madrid loomed large, but the Rossoneri had navigated their crisis moment. After two opening defeats, they had three points on the board and renewed belief.
The Olimpico goal would become one of the season's defining images—the American's arms raised, that incredulous smile, a moment of pure joy mixed with disbelief. Sometimes fortune favors the brave, and sometimes it favors those in form. On this October night at San Siro, Pulisic enjoyed both.
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