Milan — and their two United States men’s national team players — have crashed out in the Champions League’s new playoff round, losing 2-1 on aggregate against Feyenoord.
A Santiago Giménez goal in the opening minute drew things level early, but Milan struggled to swing the result after Theo Hernández was sent off in the 52nd minute for a second yellow card. Feyenoord found a breakthrough with a 73rd-minute header from Julián Carranza, his first goal in a UEFA competition.
His goal means Feyenoord have managed their best run in Europe’s top-tier tournament since 1972.
The match was the latest in what’s become an extended dry spell of sorts for U.S. international Christian Pulisic. The winger was back in Milan’s lineup after some speculation that he would be left on the bench, patrolling the right wing as usual. Pulisic played a cross that led to Milan’s opening minute goal, as he fed Malick Thiaw, who headed back across goal to Giménez to level the two-leg tie.
Feyenoord worked to cut passing lanes to Pulisic throughout his shift, limiting his ability to get on the ball in dangerous areas. Although he completed 22 of his 23 pass attempts, he only managed to take three of his 35 touches in Feyenoord’s box. Pulisic was the first Milan player to be subbed off in the second half, being sacrificed in the 64th minute to reintroduce a left back (Davide Bartesaghi) after Hernández’s dismissal.
In six appearances since the start of February across all competitions, Pulisic has played 335 minutes but hasn’t scored from any of his four attempted shots. In those games, his only two goal contributions have been a pair of assists after coming on at halftime of a 2-0 win against Empoli.
Tuesday’s fixture also saw U.S. midfielder Yunus Musah rejoin Milan’s continental efforts after missing the first leg due to suspension. Musah lined up in central midfield alongside Tijjani Reijnders, logging 61 touches — highest among Milan’s starters beyond the defensive line — while attempting two shots and creating one chance from open play. Musah also deputized as a makeshift left back for 10 minutes between Hernández’s sending-off and Pulisic’s departure. From Bartesaghi’s introduction onward, Musah was in Pulisic’s usual spot at right wing before exiting in the 83rd minute.
The winning goal was the latest high point in Carranza’s first season with Feyenoord, having joined in June from the Philadelphia Union. A product of Banfield’s academy, Carranza has been largely rotational in his first European season — backing up Gimenez before the Mexico international’s January transfer to Milan — but came off the bench in the 64th minute to fine effect.
The result brings Milan’s once-promising Champions League run to an abrupt end. Milan entered the final league-phase matchday in a position to skip the playoff round altogether, but a 2-1 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb sunk them from seventh to 13th, necessitating this two-leg tie to earn a place in the round of 16. Instead, Milan will be left to improve its Serie A stature — sitting seventh in the table, five points behind fifth-ranked Lazio for the league’s Europa League entry. Milan is also through to the Coppa Italia semifinal, where they’ll play the winner of Inter Milan and Lazio in April.
Feyenoord, meanwhile, advance to a round-of-16 clash against either Inter Milan or Arsenal. They will learn their fate in Friday’s draw, which will set the remainder of the Champions League bracket.
(Top photo: Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
