Christian Pulisic has had a standout season in Italy, but even stars can have close calls—and this time, a key teammate was there to spare him from what could have been a career-first mistake.
Pulisic’s debut campaign with Milan has been filled with high points, but in the club’s recent 2-1 away win over Genoa, the American winger narrowly avoided making an unwanted addition to his otherwise sparkling record. While the 26-year-old has made a habit of creating goals at the right end of the pitch, a tense moment in the first half nearly saw him score at the wrong one.
At first glance, the American’s intervention at a Genoa corner seemed routine. But in a split second, the ball took an awkward deflection off his body and hurtled toward the Rossoneri’s net. What followed next was a dramatic scene that left Genoa fans on their feet—and Pulisic holding his breath.
As the ball spun toward goal, Milan’s goalkeeper flung himself at full stretch, managing to claw it away right at the goal line. For a brief moment, the Genoa players believed they had broken the deadlock. But goal-line technology confirmed otherwise: the ball had not fully crossed the line, and the away side remained level.
It was a turning point not just in the match—but in Pulisic’s career stat sheet. To this day, the USMNT star has never scored an own goal, and that clean record was preserved by a moment of brilliance from his teammate. That teammate? Mike Maignan, Milan’s world-class French goalkeeper and one of the most reliable shot-stoppers in Europe.
What did Pulisic say?
The following day, a grateful Pulisic took to Instagram to publicly thank Maignan for his heroics. Sharing a clip of the dramatic save, he added the caption: “Thanks for saving me, Mike Maignan”.
The light-hearted tone underscored both his relief and the strong bond within Milan’s dressing room. It’s rare for players to publicly highlight near-mistakes, but Pulisic’s post showed humility—and respect for a teammate who bailed him out at the perfect time.
Though Genoa eventually did find the opener in the 61st minute through Vitinha, the Red and Blacks responded emphatically with two goals in two minutes to snatch victory. First, Rafael Leao equalized in the 76th minute, before a Morten Frendrup own goal completed the comeback for the Rossoneri.
The 2-1 win kept Sergio Conceicao’s men in ninth place in the Serie A standings—far below preseason expectations. However, the fight and unity shown in Genoa offer some hope as the club sets its sights on a critical end to the campaign.
