In a thrilling encounter in Serie A, Christian Pulisic emerged as the key player for AC Milan on Saturday, effectively ending the team’s three-match losing streak with his performance.
Pulisic took center stage by first securing and successfully converting a penalty, bringing Milan back on level terms at 2-2 after initially trailing Lecce by two goals. Known to fans as “Captain America,” the U.S. international sealed the victory with a late winner, guiding Milan to a 3-2 triumph against Lecce. This vital win moved Milan up to eighth place in the Italian league standings, while Lecce found itself dangerously close to the relegation zone, sitting three points above it.
Meanwhile, league leaders Inter Milan faced a surprising challenge at home, needing to rally back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 against Monza, the league’s bottom team. This victory extended Inter’s lead to four points over second-placed Napoli, which is set to face Fiorentina on Sunday.
AC Milan was grappling with a series of setbacks, including elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Feyenoord, accompanied by league defeats to Torino, Bologna, and Lazio.
Despite an early setback with Santiago Giménez’s goal ruled offside after just 47 seconds of play, Lecce capitalized on its opportunity and took the lead within seven minutes courtesy of Nikola Krstovic, whose impressive 20-yard curler marked Lecce’s first goal in 367 minutes across previous matches.
Milan endured further frustrations with another disallowed goal in the 15th minute when Matteo Gabbia’s strike was overturned for offside.
Both teams struck the woodwork before Krstovic extended Lecce’s advantage by scoring from a low cross in the 59th minute.
Yet, Milan’s fortunes changed drastically in a short span. Joao Félix’s effort, likely off target, redirected off Lecce defender Antonino Gallo into the net as an own-goal, and soon after, Pulisic equalized with a ferocious penalty after being fouled by Federico Baschirotto. The decisive moment arrived with nine minutes remaining when Rafael Leão delivered a perfect free-kick, enabling Pulisic to volley the winner past the keeper.
In parallel, Monza experienced heartbreak at San Siro following a challenging period of six defeats in seven matches without a goal in nearly a month. Initially, Monza surprised the hosts with Samuele Birindelli netting in the 32nd minute, soon followed by Keita Balde Diao, who celebrated his 30th birthday with a stunning effort right before halftime. However, Inter responded with a crucial header from Marko Arnautovi? in injury time and an equalizer from Hakan Çalhano?lu in the 64th minute.
It appeared as though Monza’s goalkeeper Stefano Turati had denied a late chance from Lautaro Martinez, but replays showed the ball had just crossed the line, registering as an own-goal credited to Giorgos Kyriakopoulos. Monza remains ten points adrift of safety.
Elsewhere in the league, a dramatic last-minute penalty allowed Venezia to secure their third consecutive draw with a 1-1 result against Cesc Fabregas’ Como. Positioned 19th out of 20 teams, Venezia stands five points short of a secure league position. Similarly, Parma moved slightly clear of the relegation zone with a battling 2-2 draw against Torino, thanks to two critical goals from Mateo Pellegrino.