Pulisic and Musah to make Italian Super Cup debuts with Milan
Final Serie A standings from Saturday mean that AC Milan will play in the Supercoppa Italiana. In a contest that mirrored the atmosphere of the supporters, the Rossoneri finally broke their losing streak of six games.
Despite Bennacer scoring first, the first half was defined by the Curva Sud’s protest and the strange quiet. But then cheers and chants erupted from the stands as Milan crushed Cagliari 5-1 in the second half.
Just after halftime, in the 59th minute, Christian Pulisic scored to put the lead even better. In the 74th minute, Tijjani Reijnders put the home side up a third with a fantastic long-range shot. Then, Rafael Leao put the game away seven minutes before halftime. Only three minutes later, the American scored his second goal of the match and his 12th league goal, putting the game out of reach.
The 25-year-old subsequent shift to the right as Leao entered the pitch seemed to spark the USMNT star’s motivation. He also got his own brace with Leao’s help; the Brazilian set him up with a spectacular through pass.
Both players have dragged the San Siro outfit towards a win that would secure their spot in the next Italian Super Cup with their speed and skill. Pulisic’s assist from Leao is the Portuguese forward’s ninth in Serie A; he had never served that many assists while wearing the Rossoneri jersey.
Big uproar for format change
The Italian Super Cup used to be a one-off event. The team that won the Coppa Italia and the Serie A championships competed in this event. But, if a single club had won both events in the previous season, the Supercoppa would include the losing Coppa Italia participants.
There have been some changes, however, since last year. Like the Spanish Super Cup, the competition was extended to include a mini-tournament with four teams. This ensured that not only were the champions and runners-up from Serie A represented, but also both teams from the Coppa Italia finals.
Still, a few Serie A teams wanted to bring back the old one-game structure. The top teams in Serie A have implied that the schedule for next season has been even more demanding. This is in addition to their participation in the first Club World Cup extended edition. June and July of 2025 will see the event in America.
Will Suppercoppa keep current format?
Still, nobody paid attention to the teams’ concerns. The four-club Super Cup format will be carried over into the 2024-25 campaign, as reported by Calcio e Finanza. January 3 and 4 will see the semi-finals, while January 7 will be the big day for the final.
Just like the current season, the tournament will force Serie A to rearrange some of its matchups to take place in February. Still out in the air is which country will be hosting at this time. Lega Serie A and Saudi Arabia have a six-year deal wherein the Kingdom will host four tournaments.
Despite hosting the first two editions, the Gulf country will still have the opportunity to plan two more.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Buzzi