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AC Milan Coach Baffled After Christian Pulisic Penalty Incident

Fiorentina defeated AC Milan 2–1 after the Rossoneri missed two penalties.

Amanda Langell

Christian Pulisic did not take either of AC Milan's penalties against Fiorentina.
Christian Pulisic did not take either of AC Milan's penalties against Fiorentina. / IMAGO/IPA Sport

Much to the dismay of Paulo Fonseca, Christian Pulisic did not take either of AC Milan's two penalties against Fiorentina, resulting in a 2–1 defeat for the Rossoneri.

Milan's final Serie A fixture before the October international break unfolded with plenty of drama that spilled into Fonseca's post-game press conference. After Fiorentina took an early 1–0 lead, Milan had two opportunities to equalize and take the lead from the penalty spot. Except Theo Hernández and Tammy Abraham saw their efforts saved by David de Gea.

Both Milan players stepped up to the spot despite Pulisic being the team's designated penalty taker, a fact Fonseca reiterated to the media following the match.

"Our designated penalty taker is Pulisic," Fonseca said to MilanTV. "I don't know why the players changed their minds. I have spoken to them and told them that this can't happen again."

Pulisic has never missed a penalty in his professional career for both club and country. The winger is a perfect 10/10 from the spot and could have given his side the 2–1 lead had he continued his streak.

Although Pulisic did not take either penalty, he still found the back of the net in the 60th minute to momentarily get Milan back into the game. The U.S. men's national team captain buried a volley with his right foot in the 60th minute, bagging his sixth goal across all competitions for the Rossoneri in nine appearances.

The goal was not enough to salvage any points for Milan, though. Albert Guðmundsson found the winner for Fiorentina just 13 minutes after Pulisic's effort.

The confusing decisions on the pitch from the Milan players cost the side three points it desperately needed to get back into the Serie A race. Heading into the international break, the club sits in sixth place with just 11 points from seven matches.

Pulisic will look to continue his goalscoring form as he joins the USMNT for international friendlies against Panama and Mexico under new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino.

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Amanda Langell
AMANDA LANGELL

Amanda Langell is a Sports Illustrated Soccer freelance writer covering the European game and international competitions.

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