Christian Pulisic’s second-half strike was all AC Milan needed as they took all three points in their win over Sassuolo, while Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus wrapped up 2023 with a victory over Roma.
AC Milan 1-0 Sassuolo
AC Milan ended 2023 on a high as Christian Pulisic scored the only goal of the game to secure the win over Sassuolo at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Pulisic started and went the distance for the Rossoneri, completing 83 percent of his passes, winning nine duels, and making three tackles along with three key passes and one shot. Yunus Musah missed out on the game as he continues to recover from injury.
The hosts thought they had opened the scoring after seven minutes when Ismael Bennacer struck from the center of the 18-yard box, but it was ruled out as Olivier Giroud was offside. The Algerian international had another golden chance in the 23rd minute but his shot just went wide of the mark.
Luck was not going the way of Milan as they thought they grabbed a sure goal in the 31st minute through Rafael Leao, but again, the assistant referee’s flag went up due to offside.
Entering the second half and despite some early chances from Sassuolo, Milan finally broke the scoreless deadlock in the 59th minute. Pulisic, who had been quiet for much of the game, played the ball to Tijani Reijnders who then passed it on to Bennacer. The American winger then dashed into the box to collect a deflected through-ball from the Algerian and slot it past the keeper.
That goal would seal the deal as Milan will look to cut the deficit on their rivals in 2024.
The Rossoneri sits in third place in the Serie A standings with 36 points.
Juventus 1-0 Roma
Juventus scored early in the second half and was able to hold on for the win over Roma at Allianz Stadium to remain close to league leaders Inter Milan in the standings.
Both Weston McKennie and Tim Weah started for the Biaconeri, with the former playing 90-plus minutes before going off with an injury, completing 82 percent of his passes, winning a duel, and making a key pass along with one shot. The latter went the distance, completing 90 percent of his passes, winning five duels, and making two tackles.
The first half would remain scoreless as both sides had excellent opportunities to open the scoring.
At the start of the second interval, the hosts did not sit back as they went on the charge as they went on to break the scoreless deadlock in the 47th minute. Adrien Rabiot dribbled the ball down the left side and passed it to Filip Kostic. The Serbian lost the ball for a second but regained possession before it went to his countrymate Duan Vlahovic. The forward then backheeled the ball into the path of Rabiot to give the Frenchman the chance to score.
Juve had a chance to put a nail into the coffin of the game in the 84th minute when Federico Chiesa led the counter-attack. His cross towards the center was met by McKennie, but the midfielder’s shot was well-saved by Roma goalkeeper Rui Patricio.
In the end, that single was enough as Juventus secured the win.
Juventus remains in second place in the standings with 43 points, two behind Inter Milan.
Follow Yanks Abroad on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn for news and views on Americans playing the beautiful game worldwide and the U.S. national team.
