Facing down the one match to save their season, AC Milan did ... that.
By "that" we mean "that thing that Milan tends to do," which is not much of anything. To put it lightly, with the future of the club well and truly at stake, AC Milan fell well short, and now everyone involved in the team will have to reckon with that fact.
That will include manager Sergio Conceicao, who is almost certainly gone at the end of this season. That will include several players who will likely be jettisoned as part of a much-needed rebuild. And, yes, that will include Christian Pulisic, who, through little fault of his own, will likely now be one of the key figures charged with helping Milan escape the fallout.
Oh, and there will be fallout. Milan's 1-0 loss to Bologna in Wednesday's Coppa Italia finale wasn't just a missed chance at saving this season with a trophy; it was a missed chance at saving next season, too. Milan missed out on the Europa League spot attached with that trophy and, with just two games remaining in the Serie A season, their chances of earning a spot in Europe via the traditional route are far from guaranteed.
Milan director Giorgio Furlani spoke to SportsMediaset after the Wednesday’s match, addressing Milan's disappointing 2024-25 campaign.
“We can’t deny it, this is a failed season. Despite the victory in the Super Cup, we are far from the goals we had set ourselves… We share the disappointment of the fans. Various mistakes have been made, and we will have to look ahead and correct them to get back to where we, the managers and the fans, expect to be.”
Pulisic is a Champions League-level footballer, but, as things stand, even a Europa Conference League spot will require Milan to beat the odds the rest of this season. The Conference League, even as a consolation prize, will feel like a letdown for Milan, who will feel both the sporting and financial ramifications of all of this, even if they do sneak into Europe's third-tier competition.
Again, Pulisic isn't to blame here. He's one of few Milan stars who have consistently stepped up to the big occasion. But, on this occasion, the biggest of the season, Pulisic and Milan fell short. And will leave the American among the few left standing long enough to ask the big question: what now?
