Pulisic Reflects on Difficult Year, Saelemaekers on Milan's Enjoyable Win

Christian Pulisic acknowledged that 2026 was a "very difficult" period for him, impacting both AC Milan and the USMNT. However, he ended a nine-month scoring drought in a 3-0 win against Lecce. Alexis Saelemaekers commented that the team "enjoyed themselves" during the match.

The AC Milan squad, still reeling from a 2-0 Europa League loss to Benfica and two Serie A draws against Juventus and Lazio, aimed to make a statement. They dominated possession and secured a convincing 3-0 victory with goals from Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot, and Diego Moreira.

This marked Pulisic's first competitive goal since December 28, 2025, against Hellas Verona, breaking a streak that saw him take 39 shots on target in Serie A without scoring.

Pulisic and Saelemaekers Back on Track

Beyond his goal, Pulisic stood out by exchanging passes with every teammate on the field. "That statistic means I ran too much and now I feel very tired," Pulisic told DAZN Italia with a smile. "It's fine, though; we played really well as a team. It was a pleasure to work this hard with my teammates."

Pulisic experienced a challenging 2026, failing to score and battling recurring injury problems that continued through the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. "It was very difficult for me, but also for the team. I'm glad I scored a goal, but now we've just got to keep winning."

While Saelemaekers did not score, he played an active role in a new trequartista position, supporting Goncalo Ramos. "It was quite a difficult week for us, but the fans were always right behind us, so we are happy to get the three points for them today," the Belgian international told DAZN Italia. "The coach decides where he wants us to play, and the important thing is the team. We all did really well today and also enjoyed ourselves on the pitch. I think those who watched us enjoyed themselves too."

Manager Ruben Amorim mentioned giving the Milan players "more freedom" for this match. Responding to this, Saelemaekers added, "I think we are players who speak the same football language; we understand each other with just a glance. The coach is trying to transmit his mentality, and everyone who came off the bench gave their contribution too, including Moreira with a great goal."

"This proves there is something really special in this group," Saelemaekers concluded.