Christian Pulisic returned to action for Milan as he recorded an assist in their win over Genoa to boost their chances of qualifying for the Champions League, while Weston McKennie and Juventus suffered a shock loss to Fiorentina.
Genoa 1-2 Milan
Milan headed to Liguria region for their encounter against Genoa and came away with all three points at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Christian Pulisic came off the bench for the Rossoneri after recovering from a lower back injury to play the final 15 minutes, putting a shot on target, and making one key pass.
The visitors were given an opportunity to break the scoreless deadlock when pointed to the spot for a penalty in the 48th minute. Goalkeeper Justin Bijlow tripped up Christian Nkunku in the area. The Frenchman dusted himself off and converted the spot kick.
Milan doubled their lead in the 81st minute when Pulisic recovered the loose ball in the 18-yard box and set up his teammate Zachary Athekame to fire his shot into the back of the net.
The hosts cut the deficit five minutes later through Johan Vasquez as he was able to get through the scramble for the ball and poke it home.
Milan sits in third place in the standings with 70 points. They will have big date on Sunday to solidify their spot for European competition when they face Cagliari at the San Siro.
Juventus 0-2 Fiorentina
Juventus took a painful hit to its Champions League pursuit as it was shut out by Fiorentina at the Allianz Stadium.
Weston McKennie played the entire 90 minutes for the Bianconeri, completing 85 percent passing, winning six duels, making two recoveries, and a shot on target.
Fiorentina opened the scoring in the 34th minute when Cher Ndour ran onto a pass from Manor Solomon to slot home.
The hosts had a few good chances to level the score in the second half. McKennie’s header into the goal was denied for a foul, while his teammate Dusan Vlahovic’s attempted was ruled out by the video assistant referee due to an offside.
The Viola sealed the win in the 86th minute when Rolando Mandragora’s long-range strike found the back of the net.
The loss puts Juventus in sixth place with 68 points. It will need a win and some help in Sunday when they take on Torino in Derby della Mole.
Notes
Elsewhere in Serie A, Yunus Musah played 27 minutes for Atalanta in their 1-0 loss to Bologna. The team is clinging on seventh place in the standings for the Europa Conference League qualification spot.
Giorgio De Marzi was on the bench for Roma as they claimed a 2-0 win over bitter rivals Lazio in the Rome Derby.
Down in Serie B, Gianluca Busio went the distance and assisted on a goal as champions Venezia sealed a 2-0 win over Palermo.
Andrija Novakovich played the entire second half for relegated Reggiana in the 1-0 win over Sampdoria.
