The Champions League group stage came to a dramatic close on Wednesday, with 18 soccer games taking place simultaneously across Europe . In Croatia, Italian giant AC Milan were beaten 2-1 by local champion Dinamo Zagreb in what turned out to be a mixed night for two U.S.
Men's National Team (USMNT) stars. Midfielder Yunus Musah was given the start on the right wing, just three days after notching his second assist of the season in a 3-1 Serie A win over Parma. However, Musah’s night came to an abrupt end.
With his side down 1-0 after an early goal from Martin Baturina, Musah was given his marching orders in the 39th minute after picking up his second yellow card for a foul on Luka Stojkovic. As if that wasn’t bad enough, goalkeeper and captain Mike Maignan’s immediate exchange of words in the aftermath with the referee resulted in a yellow card for the French shot-stopper. The 10 men of Milan soldiered on, holding Zagreb at bay until Captain America himself, Christian Pulisic, netted in the 53rd minute from just inside the penalty box to tie the game.
Ultimately, this wasn’t enough as Marko Pjaca fired home what turned out to be the game-winning goal just seven minutes later. The loss left Milan 13th in the standings, meaning they will have to go through the playoffs to reach the round of 16. "We made a mistake, we could have finished in the top eight.
A game to forget, we should have done better," Maignan told Milan TV. "Morale is low, but we have to react immediatel.
