Christian Pulisic has become the first United States men’s international to score a goal in a Champions League semifinal, after netting in the first half of Chelsea‘s tie with Real Madrid.
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The goal was also Pulisic’s fifth in the Champions League, moving him ahead of DaMarcus Beasley on the all-time U.S. men’s scoring list in European football’s premier competition.
Pulisic found himself alone in the penalty area on 14 minutes and cut to his right, beating Real Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois and firing between two defenders to give Chelsea an early lead.
The 22-year-old also scored in the knockout round in 2017 when he was still with Dortmund and is now the youngest player to score for Chelsea in the semifinals of the UCL or later, passing Ramires, who did it at 25 years old against Barcelona in 2012.
Adding to the list of firsts for Pulisic, he is also now the first U.S. international to score in any competition against Real Madrid.