Tag: Yunus Musah

Pulisic, Musah can do little as Inter beats AC Milan to clinch Serie A title

The USMNT pair was subdued as Inter clinched its 20th Serie A title

Inter clinched the Serie A championship in the most satisfying way possible, defeating arch-rival AC Milan 2-1 on Monday to lock up the title.

The destination of the Scudetto hasn’t been in doubt for months, as Simone Inzaghi’s side has enjoyed a commanding advantage atop the table for most of the season.

The Rossoneri at least wanted to prevent their rivals from clinching the title in the derby though, but could do little to slow down the Nerazzurri at the San Siro.

U.S. duo Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both started the match for Milan in unfamiliar positions. Pulisic played wide left in the place of Rafael Leão, who started at striker. Musah, meanwhile, occupied Pulisic’s typical role out wide right.

Both had quiet games, especially Pulisic, who could hardly make an impact on the night as Inter’s league-best defense did well to bottle the American up.

Inter took the lead 18 minutes in after some disastrous Milan set-piece marking left Francesco Acerbi unmarked for a header on the doorstep.

The lead would be doubled minutes after the break, after a well-struck shot from Marcus Thuram beat Mike Maignan at his near post.

Fikayo Tomori gave Milan a lifeline with a close-range finish in the 80th minute, but the Rossoneri couldn’t find the second they needed to avoid watching their rivals kick off wild celebrations in front of their eyes.

The end of the match was marred by two separate clashes between the teams that resulted in a total of three red cards. Theo Hernández and Davide Calabria were sent off for Milan and Denzel Dumfries saw red for Inter.

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AC Milan’s trophy hopes dashed as Roma claims Europa League semifinal place

Milan had high hopes for this season, but will end it without even a final after a frustrating loss to Roma

Just like that, AC Milan’s entire season boils down to qualifying for the Champions League.

The Rossoneri’s last chance at silverware ended in frustration on Thursday, as a 2-1 loss at Roma completed a 3-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of the club’s Serie A rivals.

Even an early Zeki Çelik red card wasn’t enough for Milan, who couldn’t solve Daniele De Rossi’s side after falling behind in the game’s opening stages.

“Roma deserved it. They put more quality on the pitch than us,” a downbeat Milan boss Stefano Pioli said in a post-match interview with RAI Sport. “I expected the team to play better and win. I’m not satisfied with tonight’s effort.”

The loss means that Milan — who trail city rivals Inter by a whopping 14 points in Serie A — has little to play for beyond sealing a place in next year’s Champions League.

Atalanta (who also advanced to the Europa League semifinals on Wednesday with a 3-1 aggregate win over Liverpool) knocked Pioli’s club out of the Coppa Italia back in January, and with Roma advancing at the Stadio Olimpico, an all-Italy final may still await.

For Milan, however, this will go down as a strange, disappointing day at the office. Roma’s 1-0 win at the San Siro was already a difficult scoreline to overturn, and the Rossoneri did seemingly everything possible to make the situation worse in the second leg’s early minutes.

Just 12 minutes in, Milan stood by passively as Lorenzo Pellegrini’s curler smacked off the post, then collectively continued to watch as Gianluca Mancini waltzed in to steer the rebound home.

Roma dropped off, but maintained a direct threat that Milan would rue just 10 minutes later. Romelu Lukaku couldn’t make the initial attack count, but again the second phase favored Roma: the loose ball fell to Paulo Dybala for a ruthless finish.

Still, Milan got a lifeline, with Çelik getting a 31st-minute red card after a wild swipe took Rafael Leão out from behind.

Meanwhile, the game descended into odd territory. The rain in Rome turned to sleet, while the teams combined to make three substitutions before halftime. Lukaku left with an injury in the 28th minute, while both clubs made tactical changes due to the red card, the scoreline, and the nature of cup soccer.

Pioli kept throwing numbers at Milan’s problems, and two more halftime substitutions saw a move to a 4-1-3-2 formation with Christian Pulisic playing underneath two out-and-out strikers, while his U.S. men’s national teammate Yunus Musah was stationed at right back.

The problem for Milan? None of this particularly worked, and despite attempting 20 shots, the Rossoneri were unable to truly worry Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar.

Only once Milan seemed to have accept defeat did the breakthrough come, though Matteo Gabbia’s 85th minute goal was nothing but a consolation.

Milan’s work this season isn’t over, with the next week including games against Inter and Juventus. However, with Serie A virtually certain to go to the blue half of the city and Milan nearly mathematically sure of a spot in next season’s Champions League, April and May will be as much about sorting out where a promising season went wrong as it is anything else.

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Musah full of praise for Pulisic’s goalscoring — and his Italian

Musah said Pulisic has been Milan’s best attacking player this season

Yunus Musah has been highly impressed with Christian Pulisic’s accomplishments with AC Milan this season, both on and off the field.

In his debut campaign with the Rossoneri, Pulisic has already reached a career high in goals with 12. The U.S. national team star entered the international break on a streak of four games in a row with a goal.

Musah, who is also in his first AC Milan season, wasn’t just impressed with his teammate’s displays on the pitch, but also his vastly improving Italian skills.

Speaking to reporters from USMNT camp ahead of Thursday’s Nations League semifinal against Jamaica, Musah said Pulisic has been Milan’s best attacking player in 2023-24 so far.

“I’m really really happy with the way I see Christian playing at the moment,” the midfielder said. “He’s scoring a lot of goals, affecting the play a lot in our team.

“I’d say he’s been our best attacking player this season at Milan, so I’m really happy for him. He’s doing so well. I see he’s enjoying it as well and possibly having one of his best seasons. So yeah, I’m really happy to see a fellow American do such a thing.”

Musah speaks fluent Italian, having lived in Italy for several years during his childhood. The 21-year-old helped Pulisic transition to life in a new country and a new language upon their arrival in Milan but lately, Musah said Pulisic is showing he doesn’t need quite as much help in the language department.

“Whenever I could help with the language I did, and he’s learning as well,” Musah said. “And as as you can see, he’s happy there, he’s enjoying himself, thriving. So I’m happy for him.”

The midfielder added: “He’s working really hard on his Italian and he’s managed to learn quite a bit. He really understands the manager now and [his] teammates.”

Musah also spoke about his own campaign thus far, having made the move from Valencia over the summer. After starting regularly for Milan over the first half of the season, Musah has been a bench option in recent months with Ismaël Bennacer, Yacine Adli and Tijjani Reijnders all battling for minutes in center midfield.

“I’m really happy with how the season’s been going at such a big team like this,” Musah said. “I’ve managed to play a lot of games at the beginning, in the Champions League against some top teams like PSG.”

He added: “We have a lot of talented players in the middle, so there’s a lot of competition. We can all start, so it’s hard for the manager to choose who plays. I’m just ready whenever it’s my time.”

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Pulisic strikes again as Milan beats Lazio 2-0

Pulisic was in top form as the Rossoneri picked up three points in a tough Serie A clash

Christian Pulisic is really embracing la dolce vita.

The U.S. men’s national team star opened the scoring for AC Milan in a 2-0 win over Lazio, capping off a superb performance for himself by striking his side’s opening goal on the half-volley.

After an uneventful first half that was only really punctuated by an injury for Ruben Loftus-Cheek — Yunus Musah entered in the England midfielder’s stead in the 29th minute — Milan began pressing more aggressively, eventually setting the stage for Pulisic to give his side the lead on the hour mark.

With Olivier Giroud occupying multiple defenders amid some slick one-touch passing, Pulisic ghosted in towards the penalty spot to fire Rafael Leão’s clipped cross past Ivan Provedel.

The goal is Pulisic’s third in eight appearances since making a €22 million summer move to Serie A. It also follows up the Hershey, Pa. native’s assist mid-week, when Pulisic set Loftus-Cheek up for Milan’s final goal in a 3-1 victory over Cagliari.

14 minutes after opening the scoring on Saturday, Pulisic set Musah up for what would have been a magical second. Unfortunately for the Rossoneri, Musah’s spinning volley was denied brilliantly by Ivan Provedel. Noah Okafor would end up tacking on a late second to seal the win for Stefano Pioli’s side.

The victory moved Milan top of the Serie A table for a few hours, only for city rivals Inter to vault back ahead with a rout of Salernitana later on Saturday.

“From the first half we put a lot of pressure on them, we pushed hard and the goal was only a matter of time,” Pulisic told DAZN after the match. “We finally scored it, from then on it was a great performance.”

Pulisic added that Milan must “take it one game at a time” to have a shot at staying atop the table by season’s end. “If we do this we have a good chance of winning. Today went well, we’re already thinking about the next game.”

Watch Pulisic’s strike for Milan in Lazio win

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AC Milan vs. Lazio: How to watch Serie A clash

Milan is looking to keep pace in Serie A, while Lazio needs points to turn its season around

Two of Serie A’s best teams from last season meet on Saturday, with AC Milan hosting Lazio at the San Siro.

Both clubs finished their 2022-23 campaigns in the Champions League places in Italy, but have started out this season going in different directions. Milan, having added U.S. men’s national team stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah, will take the field tied for first with city rivals Inter, trailing only on goal difference.

Still, things have not been entirely positive for the Rossoneri. While Stefano Pioli’s side has won its last two matches, there is still a sense of nerviness around the club after a heavy loss to Inter was followed by an aggravating home draw with Newcastle in the Champions League.

Lazio, meanwhile, should be feeling some urgency. The Rome-based club has lost three of its six matches in Serie A this term, and sits a disappointing 12th in the standings. Goals have been hard to come by: Lazio has just seven goals in the league this season.

Here is everything you need to know to watch Milan battle Lazio.

How to watch AC Milan vs. Lazio

When: Saturday, September 30

Time: 12:00 p.m. ET

Where: San Siro

Channel/streaming: Paramount+

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AC Milan manager Pioli: Musah is a complete player

“Wherever I use him, he will be important for the team”

AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has praised Yunus Musah’s versatility, saying the U.S. national team midfielder is a “complete player.”

Musah has begun to emerge as an important squad player for Milan after his offseason arrival from Valencia, making five total appearances for the club so far this season.

The 20-year-old has played multiple roles for the Rossoneri, starting as a wide player against Hellas Verona last weekend before coming off the bench at Cagliari in midweek and playing in defensive midfield.

Ahead of Saturday’s game against Lazio, where Musah could make his second start of the season, Pioli praised the USMNT man, saying he could play all three midfield roles in his 4-3-3 formation.

“Musah can play in all three positions,” Pioli said. “He has different characteristics from [Rade] Krunić and [Yacine] Adli, and he is able to penetrate when he plays further forward.

“He has qualities that we will need a lot; he is a complete player, and wherever I use him, he will be important for the team.”

Though he typically operates in a 4-3-3, Pioli said that he was considering moving to a 4-2-3-1 formation for the match against Lazio.

“I am considering it because [Christian] Pulisic is in good shape and in midfield, we have five players for six positions,” Pioli said. “Plus, I like [Ruben] Loftus-Cheek as a central midfielder; these are things that need a bit of testing.

“At the moment, we are working on other solutions, but 4-2-3-1 during the game is an option.”

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Musah wonders if getting punched in the head is worth a red card

This sure looked like a red card, but it wasn’t even reviewed by VAR

Like most people who saw the replay, Yunus Musah is wondering how Nahitan Nández could simply punch him in the head and get away with it.

Late in AC Milan’s 3-1 win at Cagliari on Wednesday, Musah appeared to have a pretty clear red card shout when the Uruguay international lashed out in frustration, punching the Milan midfielder in the back of the head and following through.

Despite the Cagliari captain’s clear violation, the referee didn’t spot it and VAR didn’t intervene either. Nández could still potentially face punishment if Serie A chooses to review the incident.

Musah played the final half hour of Milan’s win, which took them level on points atop the Serie A table with city rivals Inter. Christian Pulisic started and turned in a strong performance, playing a major part in Milan’s opener before assisting Ruben Loftus-Cheek for the club’s third.

In a since-deleted post on his Instagram story, Musah offered his take on the incident. The 20-year-old invited his followers to participate in a poll, asking whether Nández should have been shown a red card.

All three options were “yes.”

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The Americans Abroad Five: Musah emerges at AC Milan

The USMNT midfielder just had the best week of his early AC Milan career

We’ve talked quite a bit about Christian Pulisic’s strong start at AC Milan, but now another offseason USMNT addition is making his move with the Rossoneri.

Yunus Musah just had the best week of his early Milan career, turning in a strong cameo in a midweek draw against Newcastle before making his first start for Milan in Saturday’s 1-0 win against Hellas Verona.

Now in his fourth full season of first-team soccer, it’s easy to forget Musah is still only 20. The midfielder still has rough edges to smooth out, but it looks like he’ll have plenty of chances to do so while learning on the job with Milan this season.

This week’s Five kicks off with an encouraging week for the USMNT midfielder.

Musah: AC Milan ‘angry’ with Newcastle draw: ‘We had to win’

Milan outshot the Premier League side 25-6 but still had to settle for a point at home

Yunus Musah has admitted that AC Milan is “angry” after a frustrating 0-0 draw against Newcastle to open the Champions League group stage.

Milan squandered a host of chances at San Siro on Tuesday, as poor finishing and some good saves from Nick Pope combined to keep the Rossoneri off the scoresheet.

Musah turned in an impressive cameo for Milan, coming off the bench after 72 minutes when Ruben Loftus-Cheek went off injured.

Speaking to Sky Italia after the game, Musah said that failing to win at home will not go down well with his team, especially in a group that also contains Borussia Dortmund and PSG.

“There is a lot of anger over not finding the goal, in a match like this at home we had to win,” the U.S. men’s national team midfielder said.

Milan would outshoot the Premier League side 25-6 and won the expected goals battle 2.1 to 0.2, but still had to settle for a point at home.

Though the team’s result fell short of expectations, Musah’s individual performance was strong. With Loftus-Cheek now injured, the 20-year-old could be in line for his first Milan start on Saturday in a Serie A match against Verona.

“I have to learn and work hard to have a place [in the team],” Musah said. “I always try to be ready to play, then if [head coach Stefano] Pioli gives me the opportunity I will take it.

“I’ve been feeling very good since the first day I arrived, it’s very nice to play in this club. Choosing Italy was easy for me.”

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Wasteful AC Milan lets Newcastle off the hook

The Rossoneri were dominant on the stat sheet, but couldn’t make their control of the match pay off

Just one game into the Champions League, and AC Milan is already on the back foot.

Despite controlling the match at San Siro, the Rossoneri were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at home against Newcastle on Tuesday.

Making its first Champions League appearance since 2002-03, Newcastle turned in a strong defensive effort that was boosted by some poor finishing from the home side.

With Borussia Dortmund and PSG also in Group F, missing a chance at maximum points at home will be a difficult way for Milan to start off its Champions League campaign.

Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both entered the game as second-half substitutes, with Musah proving the more effective of the U.S. national team pair, but neither was able to provide a match-deciding contribution.

In a first half where it outshot Newcastle 15-2, Milan should have taken the lead through Rafael Leão, who did everything right before making an ill-advised decision to try a backheel after crafting a shooting chance.

It would get no better in the second half for Milan, which still wasn’t able to find a way past Nick Pope in the Newcastle goal. The final stats showed total domination from the Rossoneri, but no separation when it came to the one stat that truly matters.

To make things worse for Milan, both goalkeeper Mike Maignan and midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek went off injured. Musah looked lively when he replaced Loftus-Cheek in the 72nd minute, with the USMNT midfielder now potentially looking at a more prominent role in the England man’s absence.

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