USMNT stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah bow out of Europa League as AC Milan fall short against 10-man Roma

After falling behind 1-0 in the first leg in Milan, the Rossoneri had it all to do on Thursday in Rome. Their job was made much harder in the 12th minute when Gianluca Mancini scored an opening goal for Roma, doubling the hosts' advantage. Paulo Dybala's goal 10 minutes later essentially buried them, giving Roma a 2-0 lead on aggregate.

However, Milan were handed a lifeline of sorts in the 31st minute when Mehmet Zek Celik was sent off with a straight red card for a tackle from behind on Rafael Leao.

The visitors did get one back with just minutes remaining, with Mateo Gabbia heading home from close range, but it was too little, too late for Milan as they exited the Europa League.

With the defeat, Milan will almost certainly end the season trophyless, having been knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Atalanta all the way back in January. A Scudetto run, meanwhile, is long over, with Inter boasting a 14-point lead over their local rivals with just six games left to play in the Serie A season.

The Europa League was Milan's only chance at ending the 2023-24 season with a trophy, and the fact that they threw it away against a Serie A rival will leave Stefano Pioli's side even more frustrated.

Even with the man advantage, Pulisic never really looked dangerous for Milan, minus a moment or two. The Rossoneri will have expected more from their dynamic winger, who put in one of his quietest performances of the season in the club's Europa League exit.

Pulisic was ultimately taken out in the 69th minute, having touched the ball just 38 times despite the man advantage. His set-piece delivery was never dangerous enough and he created just one chance on the day.

Pulisic's USMNT teammate, Yunus Musah, was also named to the XI, lasting 69 minutes on the pitch as well. After Roma went down a man, Milan took out Davide Calabria to add striker Luka Jovic to the mix, putting more pressure on Musah to be a destroyer when Roma did get forward.

By and large, Musah did some dirty work and moved the ball well, but it was all hopeless as Milan couldn't find the firepower to put the result into any sort of doubt.

Christian Pulisic (5/10):

Far from his best performance. Was a bit unlucky to be taken off when he was but, realistically, Milan's fate was essentially sealed.

Yunus Musah (6/10):

His job changed once Roma went down a man, but his effort didn't. A decent game, overall, but nothing too memorable.

Milan have just six matches left in their Serie A season, with their next one being a massive one if only for pride. The Rossoneri will play host to rivals Inter on Monday, with their ensuing match also being a big one as they visit Juventus on April 28.