Yunus Musah continued his return from injury with a decent shift in midfield, but Milan's Coppa Italia hopes came crashing down in a loss to Atalanta.
WHAT HAPPENED?
After a fairly tepid start, the game ignited in first-half stoppage time as the two sides exchanged goals. Milan's came in the 45th minute through Rafael Leao, who took advantage of a bombing run forward from Theo Hernandez to seize the lead for the hosts.
The advantage, though, lasted just two minutes before Atalanta found their response. Teun Koopmeiners capped a fantastic move from the visitors in the second minute of stoppage time, leaving both teams level heading into the locker room.
Koopmeiners would strike again to break the deadlock in the second 45, scoring from the spot in the 59th minute. It was a lead they'd never relinquish, even with Milan making a late push at San Siro. There was still time for Milan's Angelo Mirante to be sent off in added time for dissent as Atalanta ultimately held strong, booking their spot in the Coppa Italia semifinals.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
With the loss, Milan's hopes of winning the trophy were dashed as they fell at the quarterfinal hurdle. This comes after they failed to advance from the Champions League 'group of death', finishing third and falling into the Europa League playoff round.
Milan remain very much alive in Serie A, though, but they'll need a strong second half of the season if they are to claim the title with Inter and Juventus setting the pace at the top.
As for Atalanta, they book a spot in the semifinal round, where they'll face Fiorentina. Lazio awaits in the other semifinal, with Juventus and Frosinone battling on Thursday for the right to be the fourth and final team to advance.
USMNT IMPACT
With the start, Musah was named to Milan's starting XI for the first time since early December, having recently dealt with a muscle problem that kept him out of action for most of the holiday season. He returned for a cameo in this past weekend's 3-0 win over Empoli before putting in a decent shift in the Milan midfield in this return to the lineup.
Musah had a few chances, particularly one early, but was unable to put any of his three shots into the back of the net.
Pulisic, meanwhile, had one good look late on, but his 70th-minute effort was saved before a shot moments later was blocked and cleared away. Of the two, it was Musah who stood out, which can be seen as a positive sign as he looks to battle back into the Milan XI after recovering from his injury issues. However, his lack of precision in front of goal was an obvious negative as Musah had a few chances to make a difference but failed to take them.
Tactically, Pulisic tucked in for large stretches of the game with Musah drifting out wide, playing off Stefano Pioli's recent comments that Pulisic could play as more of a trequartista.
GOAL'S RATINGS
Christian Pulisic (5/10):
Never quite got going. Created a few decent chances late on and made things happen off the dribble, but Milan needed a bit more from him here.
Yunus Musah (6/10):
Not quite crisp, but you can't fault the effort. Created a few chances, passed the ball well and had a few good moments defensively. Not a perfect performance, but a good start for a player just returning to the field.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
Currently third in Serie A through the first half of the season, Milan's focus will have to quickly turn back toward league play as they play host to Roma on Sunday, looking to keep pace with Juventus and league-leaders Inter at the summit of the Italian top flight.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Real Madrid vs Al Hilal With the score at 10-0 against Auckland City, Manuel Neuer started doing warm-up exercises in the middle of the field... lol International Trophies It's been a year since Kylian Mbappé broke his nose at the Euros. We never got to see the mask everyone wanted to see "A competition without Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal & Bar...
Chelsea have kicked off their Club World Cup campaign, but behind the scenes there is still serious transfer work going on.While Enzo Maresca trains his players in the USA, the transfer team are getting to work on helping build his squad.Gittens still wants Chelsea – Chelsea still want GittensThe attempts to sign Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens before the tournament failed, but it's c...
Arsenal are in the mix to complete a surprise deal for former Manchester City player Aymeric Laporte, with a report detailing how much he will cost to sign from Al-Nassr this summer.Laporte first arrived in England in January 2018 when Man City broke their transfer record by paying Athletic Club £57million to sign him on a five-and-a-half-year contract. The centre-back went on to make 180 app...
Rafael Leao, Nico Williams, Bradley Barcola and Eberechi Eze are among Bayern Munich's potential targets after missing out on the signing of Bayer Leverkusen starlet Florian Wirtz, sources told ESPN.Wirtz, who is currently on holiday following the UEFA Nations League finals, is set to soon complete his transfer to Liverpool, after ESPN reported last week that the Premier League champions had agree...
Man Utd and Napoli show interest in Hudson-OdoiCallum Hudson-Odoi, who joined Nottingham Forest from Chelsea in 2023, has only a year left in his existing deal. The winger had an impressive outing in the 2024-25 campaign and played a key role in the club securing a European place after 30 years away from continental competition. The 24-year-old scored five goals and provided three assists in 36 ga...
Pablo Marin of Spain and Issa Doumbia of Italy battle for the ballSpain and Italy played out a 1-1 draw in their final group game of the UEFA European U21 Championship, ensuring both nations completed it without defeat (W2, D1).With passage to the quarter-finals already sealed for both nations, this matchup was purely a fight for top spot, and it was the Spaniards who edged proceedings in the earl...
Thomas Frank was chosen among 30 candidates for the Tottenham jobTottenham CEO Vinai Venkatesham has revealed that Thomas Frank was chosen among more than 30 other candidates to succeed Ange Postecoglou as manager.Tottenham chose Thomas Frank as their new head coach last week, and were made to pay London rivals Brentford 310million in the process as Franks appointment was published only days after...
Saudi clubs prepare huge bids for Tottenham captain KaneTottenham captain Son Heung-min has attracted interest from three Saudi Pro League clubs ahead of a potential summer move.The South Korea international has just 12 months remaining on his current Spurs deal and has been linked with a move away, with the North London club reportedly open to selling him this summer to cash in on the experienced...
And just like that, the transfer window is closed.Now depending on where you've been for the past few weeks, you might be asking yourself two questions:1. Is that a "Sex and the City" reference? 2. Wait, what?To the first question: Of course it is. Bring back Samantha.And to the second: With the Club World Cup kicking off this past weekend and set to stretch all the way through mid-July, FIFA gave...
LaLiga president Tebas: Barcelona cannot register Garcia - for nowLaLiga president Javier Tebas has warned Barcelona must sell to register Joan Garcia.Barca have agreed to pay goalkeeper Garcia's €25m buyout clause in his Espanyol contract.However, Tebas insists the Blaugrana do not have room in their registered budget to sign Garcia at this stage.He said, "We haven't even set dates yet, but...
- 1 DONE DEAL: Marseille confirm CJ Egan-Riley signing from Burnley
- 2 Chloe Kelly enjoys sun-kissed holiday as Arsenal star rests before Euro 2025
- 3 Jack Grealish set to leave Man City this summer
- 4 Man Utd make decision on replacing Andre Onana with Emi Martinez this summer
- 5 PSG vs Atletico Madrid Prediction 16 June 2025
- 6 Laura Woods gives update on post-pregnancy body
- 7 Real Madrid eye a trio of targets
- 8 Maddison and Wag announce they're expecting twins AGAIN
- 9 'If you want to understand, it's really obvious' – USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino responds to Christian Pulisic, eager to move past off-field drama
- 10 Tottenham make 'mega £70m bid for Bryan Mbeumo' as Man Utd fear hijack