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Christian Pulisic continued his fantastic form with what could be the biggest goal of his career so far in the UEFA Champions League semifinals on Tuesday. The Chelsea winger got the deserved start at Real Madrid in their first leg and delivered with a good run, some serious composure and a nifty finish past Thibaut Courtois to make it 1-0 in a match that finished 1-1.
It was the first goal Real Madrid have conceded in over 400 minutes, with Pulisic also making history in the process. Take a look:
That is a lovely run, he settled the ball well and how about the poise to dribble past the human version of Stretch Armstrong in Courtois? Pulisic delivered again, and what a spot to do it in with an away goal that could end up being so crucial come the end of the second leg.
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In the process, Pulisic became the first U.S. international to score in the UCL semifinals (Tyler Adams’ heroic goal last season came in the quarterfinals). In addition, he’s now all-time leading American scorer in Champions League history with five goals, surpassing DaMarcus Beasley in the process. He’s also the first American player to net multiple goals in the knockout stage over the course of his career.
Pulisic spoke to CBS Sports following the match to detail his performance, even saying he was surprised how open he was on his goal. And he has a point, as it was evident that Real defended it so poorly. I even docked points on the performance of Nacho and Raphael Varane in our player ratings for not even staying with Pulisic.
Here’s the interview:
“Obviously a solid result, playing away against a strong Madrid team. I think we could’ve been even better,” Pulisic said. “…It’s a proud moment, but the job is nowhere near done.”
Chelsea host relegation-threatened Fulham over the weekend before they welcome Real Madrid to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of the semifinals on May 5 on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network. The final on May 29 in Istanbul, Turkey, will air on Paramount+ and CBS.