The Christian Pulisic penalty kick debacle during AC Milan’s 2-1 defeat to Fiorentina on Sunday has drawn a wide range of reactions. ESPN FC pundit and former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley pointed his blame at the American forward for the situation.
To recap, Milan lost 2-1 on Sunday despite having two penalty kicks. Pulisic is the club’s designated penalty taker, however teammates Theo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham took the two penalty kicks. Both players failed to score.
Abraham was seen with fellow Englishman and Milan defender Fikayo Tomori keeping the ball away from Pulisic prior to the second penalty kick.
— Brandon Ayala (@BrandonAya47844) October 6, 2024
Burley tore into Pulisic during a show on Wednesday saying that the USMNT player was “weak” and that “he hasn’t got that stomach for big moments.”
Craig Burley Pulisic comments
Burley's grilling didn't stop there as he took another shot at the American suggesting that Pulisic's mentality is why he's playing in Serie A and not in the Premier League anymore.
Fans had mixed reactions to Pulisic’s actions during the second penalty kick that Tomori and Abraham took away from him. Some applauded his restraint during the moment as to not make a scene like what happened with Chelsea last season.
Chelsea players had a heated exchange over who would take this penalty kick. They were winning 4-0 at the time. pic.twitter.com/Gh6wg5cEvQ
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 15, 2024
Did Pulisic do the right thing? Or should he have fought to take the penalty himself?
Pulisic has taken 10 penalty kicks in his career. He’s scored all 10.