USMNT star Christian Pulisic and Milan's UCL hopes are fading! Italian giants fall to Dortmund as Gio Reyna goes as an unused sub

The game got off to a wild start, with both sides earning penalties within minutes of one another. However, while Dortmund buried theirs, Milan squandered the opportunity. After a handball in the box, Olivier Giroud saw his penalty saved by Dortmund's Gregor Kobel in the sixth minute. Just four minutes later, Dortmund and Reus fired home from the spot. That lead lasted until the 37th minute, when Milan equalized on a goal from Samuel Chukwueze. The Nigerian winger broke through on the right-hand side, beating his defender before slotting a shot past Kobel to send the teams into the half level.

Dortmund, though, wouldn't be denied. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens proved to be the match-winner, as he slid a perfectly-placed shot past Mike Maignan, giving his side the 2-1 lead. Karim Adeyemi went on to add another as his shot banked off Maignan's hand and in, giving Dortmund the 3-1 lead, the win and, most importantly, all three points in this tight group.

With the win, Dortmund have locked up their place in the Round of 16, having now earned 10 points through five games. A point in their final match against PSG would be enough for them to finish atop the group. As for Pulisic and Milan, hope is not lost just yet, although it is fading fast. They'll need a win over Newcastle as well as a Dortmund win or draw against PSG to have hopes of making it to the Round of 16. Should it come down to the draw, though, Milan would need to beat Newcastle by five goals just to equal PSG on goal difference.

It was a tough game for Pulisic, who, to his credit, did do a lot of good things in the loss. He had two decent looks on net, and put on a passing clinic, with the only thing really missing from his game was a goal contribution.

Overall, it's been a frustrating Champions League campaign for Pulisic and Milan, who have struggled in every facet. Their attack has gone silent for large stretches in this competition, while defensive mishaps have been too commonplace. As a result they'll need a lot of help to qualify for the knockout rounds, and they'll likely count themselves fortunate to still be alive at this point.

As for Reyna, he remains a backup at Dortmund and, based on substitution patterns, is still not one of Edin Terzic's preferred options. Despite his supersub heroics last season, Reyna hasn't been allowed to offer much this season as he remains glued to the bench for his club.

Christian Pulisic (6/10):

Can't knock the effort. Moved the ball well and had his moments, but just couldn't quite produce the magic needed to keep his team in the game. Definitely not at fault for the performance, though, as those around him needed to be much, much better.

Gio Reyna (N/A):

Still glued to Dortmund's bench, adding more fuel to the fire as transfer rumors swirl.

Yunus Musah (N/A):

Was suspended for this one due to yellow card accumulation. Makes you wonder if he could have helped a bit, although Milan would have needed several better performances to survive this.

The two sides will return to league play this weekend, with Milan set to visit Frosinone while Dortmund face a huge, huge match as they visit league-leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Both sides will have their eyes on the group stage finales, though, as Dortmund take on PSG while Milan face Newcastle in two weeks time.