Flu-stricken Christian Pulisic scored a heroic second-half double off the bench on Monday to lead AC Milan to a 3-2 victory over Torino and help his team return to the top of Serie A.
“Two days ago I was really dead, today I felt much better. I'm happy to have come here to help the team,” Pulisic told Sky Sports Italia after the match, revealing the extent of his battle with flu ahead of Monday's game. “Yesterday we didn't know if I could play, but this morning I felt much better. I'm happy with the goals, but the important thing was to win the game.”
Wins at the weekend for title rivals Napoli and Internazionale left Milan in third place, meaning the team needed all three points to return to the top. However, Milan trailed 2-0 in the 17th minute after Torino got a goal from Nikola Vlasic and a penalty from Duván Zapata to start the match.
Adrien Rabiot started Milan's comeback with a spectacular shot from 35 meters before Pulisic came on in the 67th minute to score twice, sealing a 3-2 victory and putting Milan level on points with Napoli, but ahead on goal difference to return them to first place.
“We also have to praise the medical staff because Pulisic was very sick, but he came and gave us a great hand,” assistant coach Marco Landucci said after the game. He replaced coach Massimiliano Allegri, who watched the game from a box while serving a suspension.
“[Pulisic] “He is a strong player, he is very calm in the locker room, but on the field he is unpleasant and in front of goal he is a sniper,” Landucci added.
Pulisic will be a key player for the United States at next summer's World Cup, and the Americans will learn their group stage opponents (Paraguay, Australia and the winner of one of the UEFA qualifying playoffs) in Friday's draw.
For now, the American captain is focused on maintaining his stellar form in Serie A, where he is tied for the league lead in goals with seven after his brace on Monday.
“It's a season in which we don't see Milan dominate the games much,” Pulisic said. “I still need to find more rhythm. The team is doing very well this year. We go game by game.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
