AC Milan’s miserable season reached another low point on Sunday, as a 3-1 loss to Roma eliminated the Rossoneri from European contention next season.
Milan ended the weekend in ninth place, five points back of sixth-place Lazio in a Europa Conference League spot. With just one match remaining, Milan’s hopes of any European competition next season are over.
Gianluca Mancini gave Roma a third-minute lead, and Milan’s task was made even more challenging when Santiago Giménez was shown a straight red card in the 21st minute for elbowing Mancini.
Milan did manage to equalize before halftime through João Félix, but goals in the second half from Leandro Paredes and Bryan Cristante provided all three points for the home side.
Christian Pulisic played nearly the full match, while Yunus Musah played the full match after making his first start in six weeks.
Milan’s best chance to salvage its season and qualify for the Europa League came in midweek, but the Rossoneri fell 1-0 to Bologna in the Coppa Italia final.
That defeat was the nadir of a dismal campaign that saw new coach Paulo Fonseca sacked by midseason. His replacement Sérgio Conceição is widely expected to depart after the season as well.
There will be questions over Pulisic’s future after a report this week that the 26-year-old is unhappy with his team’s situation.
The U.S. international has had another outstanding individual campaign, tallying 17 goals and 12 assists. Those performances have reportedly attracted interest from other clubs, most of which would likely be able to offer the Champions League competition Pulisic had in his first two Milan seasons.
If Pulisic stays, however, he’ll only be playing domestic competition with Milan in 2025-26 — a season that will lead up to a World Cup on home soil.
