For Christian Pulisic, this hurt. Despite his best efforts, Milan are on the brink

• Christian Pulisic interview: ‘I want to show the world what the U.S. can do’

At the final whistle, he stood with hands on his hips, head bowed in quiet contemplation.

Then, after five seconds, there was a trudge to the centre circle to offer handshakes to the victorious Borussia Dortmund players. For a couple of former colleagues, there was a brief embrace, before an equally slow plod to applaud the AC Milan diehards in the Curva Sud.

After all that was done, he was the last player to depart the San Siro pitch.

Maybe he was walking so slowly because his legs were sapped after 96 hard-running minutes. Perhaps he was carrying a heavier heart than usual too. For Christian Pulisic, this hurt.

The 3-1 loss in Tuesday’s Champions League group game against his former club Borussia Dortmund left Pulisic’s side closer to sliding out of the competition.

Milan’s fate is out of their hands; three points against Newcastle United at St James’ Park in their final Group F match next month would only be enough for a Europa League consolidation prize if Paris Saint-Germain avoid defeat against Dortmund, who are already into the round of 16.

On Pulisic’s part, it was not through a lack of trying.

He had been one of Milan’s top performers on a night that arrived on the back of worrying league form. They have won just once in their past five Serie A games — last Saturday’s underwhelming victory against Fiorentina — and murmurs about manager Stefano Pioli’s future are growing.

Pulisic certainly seemed to carry that load on his shoulders afterwards. He left the stadium grim-faced after declining to stop when asked to discuss the game by journalists.

Earlier, he had tried to offer a semi-upbeat assessment to ex-New York Red Bulls and Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch, now a pundit for CBS. “We had some really good moments in the game but even after they went and scored we came back, got one back and were really pushing,” said Pulisic.

“We had good momentum at the end of the first half going into the second half. There were a few opportunities at the beginning of that second but just couldn’t take advantage. It wasn’t our day.

“It’s disappointing. There are some positives we can take out of it but all we can do is focus on winning the last game.”

Pulisic, 25, was involved in most of the upsides for a Milan team that has been depleted by injuries to key men, such as forward Rafael Leao. They were already struggling for numbers in defence, with Simon Kjaer out, and lost centre-back Malick Thiaw to injury in the second half. Thiaw later left the stadium on crutches.

Tough times call for cool heads and leadership by example, and the U.S. captain offered both.

He was deployed on the left of Milan’s front three but, as the hosts started boldly, Pulisic often drifted inside looking for the ball while left-back Theo Hernandez went outside him and remained high up the field.

Christian Pulisic takes on Marius Wolf, left, and Niclas Fullkrug (Jari Pestelacci/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

In a chaotic opening period, Olivier Giroud’s penalty for Milan was saved by Dortmund ’keeper Gregor Kobel, before Marco Reus converted one for the visitors.

Pulisic tried to restore some calm, helping the hosts keep the ball and regain some momentum. He was composed and near-immaculate in possession all night, completing 94 per cent of his passes (more than any other forward player who started the game).

Dortmund were keenly aware of the threat he brought. Whenever he stretched his legs, there was a yellow shirt close to him, with Mats Hummels skilfully shutting him out as he tried to lead Milan back into the game as the half wore on.

But the men in yellow couldn’t always thwart him. There was a roar of appreciation from the Curva Sud on 42 minutes when Pulisic received the ball on his right foot, feinted to go inside and then chopped it onto his left before darting past a stumbling and wrong-footed Julian Ryerson to whip in a cross.

Four minutes later, he should have had the first of two assists his creativity warranted, when a superb teasing cross to the back post was headed wide by Davide Calabria.

There might have been a spectacular goal of his own in that phase after the break when Milan still threatened a comeback: a superbly executed scissor-kick was diverted behind for a corner.

But for Pulisic, there was often frustration — take the 77th minute, when he deftly played the ball to Calabria in Dortmund’s half and burst forward expecting the return pass but the captain lost possession.

By then, Dortmund’s clinical counter-attacking had given Milan a mountain to climb. But while some heads dropped, Pulisic tried to keep making things happen.

There was another dangerous right-footed cross with seven minutes of normal time left that led to a Milan corner.

Then he almost created a late goal with a cross, from which Luka Jovic hit the post.

Pulisic’s final meaningful contribution was to link smartly with fellow former Chelsea team-mate Ruben Loftus-Cheek in a move that forced a strong save from Kobel.

If he cut a forlorn figure at the end, his international team-mates Yunus Musah and Giovanni Reyna were not skipping out of the San Siro either. Musah was suspended and watched from the stands; a presumably even more frustrated Reyna was an unused substitute for Dortmund.

Musah will resume his influential role in the team after having to sit this out, but the question marks over what Reyna must do to play remain. It did not help his cause that 34-year-old Reus, who plays in the central attacking midfield role Reyna covets, produced a vintage display.

REUS SCORES FROM THE SPOT! 🟡

A CRAZY start at the San Siro, TWO penalties have been taken, Giroud misses for Milan and Reus scores for Dortmund! 😯🙌 pic.twitter.com/blM00dS9nm

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 28, 2023

Pulisic, at least, was in nobody’s shadow. But even in the place where he has revived his career after the stop-start spell in London, nothing is quite straightforward.

His club and international form is peaking, just as Milan’s season falters.

(Top photo: Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)