US national team star Christian Pulisic is backing AC Milan to do well in the Champions League despite a 3-0 defeat by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday that left the Italian giants bottom of Group F.
Milan have collected just two points from their first three matches in the competition’s toughest group this season.
They are also yet to score a single goal, having played out goalless draws against Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund before Thursday’s defeat in the early hours of WIB in the French capital.
“We have to focus on the next match. We haven’t run out of energy, we just need to string some wins together,” Pulisic told CBS Sports.
“We had some difficult matches in some difficult stadiums, but that is no excuse, we have to turn things around and we have to win.”
French forward Kylian Mbappé and Randal Kolo Muani scored in both halves to put PSG in control at the Parc des Princes before South Korean winger Lee Kang-in added a third late in the contest.
Milan had a good chance to equalize shortly after the break when Pulisic raced into the penalty area, but instead of shooting himself, he opted to give the ball to Olivier Giroud, who could only fire wide.
“We weren’t clinical enough – I had to make the most of today’s opportunity,” said Pulisic.
“That’s up to us, we just have to keep working. I think it’s not flowing now but it will come again.”
“I think we just have to stay calm. It doesn’t feel like a game where we should lose 3-0, I think that’s the message. We played for most of the game and let it get away from us.” .
“We will be fine going forward, we are a confident team. The good thing about this schedule is that we have another game in a few days and we can bounce back.”
Pulisic signed for Milan last summer from Chelsea and then joined his USMNT teammate Yunus Musah.
The duo have helped Milan make a good start to the season domestically, trailing Serie A leaders Inter Milan by a point after nine matches.
But if Milan are to advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League as one of the top two teams in the group, they will likely need a positive result when they host PSG at the San Siro in two weeks’ time.
“Every opponent is different, every opponent is a top team,” Musah told reporters. “Everyone talks about how difficult our group is; so we have to use that level again when we face them again.
“It’s not only difficult for us, it’s also difficult for them. We pressure them, we make them make mistakes, we create some chances but they punish us and we don’t do it.”
