United States attacking midfielder Christian Pulisic began his tenure with AC Milan in strong fashion, contributing a goal and an assist as they defeated Bologna 2-0 in their opening Serie A match of the season.
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Having joined Milan last month, Pulisic played a role in Olivier Giroud’s initial goal. Giroud then returned the favour to his former Chelsea teammate in the 21st minute. Pulisic is among the new faces in the Rossoneri squad. Milan was the most active Serie A club in the offseason, acquiring six fresh players. Pulisic acknowledged that the presence of his ex-teammates was a factor influencing his decision to join the storied Italian club.
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Yunus Musah, Pulisic’s compatriot, was suspended for the season opener. However, other newcomers Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders made their starting debuts, with the latter contributing to the opener in the 11th minute. Pulisic displayed precise ball distribution with a crossfield pass to the back post, where Reijnders delivered it to Giroud for a successful finish on the opposite side.
A blazing start in #BolognaMilan 🔥#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/zpuYOipVJ5
— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 22, 2023
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Pulisic’s performance reached even greater heights 10 minutes later when he executed a one-two play with Giroud, resulting in a well-placed shot into the far corner of the net. With a comfortable lead and the temperature approaching 30 degrees Celsius, even in the nighttime in Bologna, Milan’s intensity began to wane. In the final moments, Rafael Leao had an opportunity to extend the lead, but his attempt struck the inside of the far post.
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Claudio Ranieri’s return to Serie A saw his first match with Cagliari end in a 0-0 draw against Torino. Despite Torino having more scoring opportunities, they struggled to capitalise on them. This is an issue they had been facing right from last season. Now 71, Ranieri made his coaching debut more than three decades ago at Torino, effectively launching his career. Last season, he accomplished another remarkable feat by guiding Cagliari to promotion through the playoffs.
