Christian Pulisic returns for AC Milan’s win over Fiorentina in Serie A

As was announced by Stefano Pioli, USMNT captain Christian Pulisic finally made his comeback for AC Milan on Saturday after a minor muscle injury that kept him out of the USMNT’s Nations League double-header of games with Trinidad and Tobago (3-0, 2-1).

Saturday’s tie against Fiorentina saw Pulisic return to the Italian side’s starting XI, with ‘Captain America’ starting for the first time since he went down in pain prior to the November international break.

Pulisic’s quiet night on his return

In the end, Milan overcame Fiorentina 1-0 thanks to Theo Hernandez’s penalty effort, but it was not a night in which Pulisic made the headlines. Despite almost getting himself on the scoresheet with an opportunity to put a shot past Terracciano in the opposition net, the forward had a quiet game with the minutes serving him well to recover match sharpness and form. However, right now, the main thing for the player is to fully overcome the injury and make sure he feels 100% ready to play: on that front, things went well.

After featuring for just over an hour in the win, Stefano Pioli decided not to risk the 25-year-old any further and took him off the San Siro field, swapping one former Chelsea player, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, with another.

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A key week for AC Milan

In the end, Pioli’s plan worked, as Milan got three valuable points in their chase for the top and they remain third in the Serie A standings behind Juventus and Inter Milan, who face each other on Sunday.

Pulisic’s return comes at the best possible time for Milan, as Pioli’s side have a crucial week ahead, one that is set to have a direct impact on both the club’s long and medium-term future: in midweek the team will face Borussia Dortmund in a game that could either rubber stamp or rip up their tickets to the next round of the Champions League. For that clash, as he has already proven, Christian Pulisic, along with USMNT teammate, Yunus Musah, is going to be a key figure for the 7-time European champions.

AC Milan take on Borussia Dortmund at San Siro in Group F of the Champions League on Tuesday, November 28, with kick off at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT.