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Christian Pulisic Carries AC Milan to the Europa League Quarter-Finals
Milan fulfilled expectations and secured their spot in the Europa League Quarter-finals after defeating Slavia Prague 1-3 on Thursday, adding to their clear 4-2 victory in the first leg.
While the first leg was marred by a red card for Slavia Prague's Senegalese defender El Hadji Diouf at the 26th minute, this time, the Czech side found themselves down to ten men even earlier when Tomas Holes was sent off. After reviewing the video footage, referee Glenn Nyberg issued a straight red card for Slavia's captain, Tomas Holes, for stomping on Davide Calabria.
This expulsion dashed any hopes of a comeback for the Czech team, who, six minutes before, seemed to have a chance to liven up the tie with a shot from Mojmir Chytil that was brilliantly saved by Milan's goalkeeper, Milke Maignan.The French goalkeeper, however, had to leave the field at the 21st minute due to an injury sustained in a collision with Slavia's defender Tomas Vicek earlier in the match.
Despite this setback, Milan effectively sealed the tie before halftime, thanks to goals from Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Rafael Leao..
Pulisic showcased his composure inside the box with the opening goal at the 33rd minute, followed by Loftus-Cheek's well-timed run to convert a pass from Theo Hernández into the second goal just three minutes later. In injury time of the first half, Leao demonstrated his power and accuracy with a sensational strike from outside the box, making it 0-3.
Milan managed the game professionally in the second half, while Slavia Prague, despite their efforts, only managed to score a consolation goal through Matje Jurasek at the 84th minute, resulting in a final score of 1-3. This result ensures that the Italian team will be in the draw for the Quarter-finals.