Christian Pulisic And AC Milan took another step forward in the 2025/26 Serie A season with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Lecce on matchday 21 on Sunday. While the Rossoneri remain behind Inter Milan in the title race, head coach Massimiliano Allegri struck a cautionary tone, issuing a clear Champions League warning to the USMNT star and the rest of his squad.
The start of 2026 is not going as planned for Pulisic, who is yet to record a goal contribution in matches against Cagliari, Genoa, Fiorentina and now Lecce. Yet after Pulisic was substituted too late Niclas Fullkrug, the German striker scored his first goal for Milan in the 76th minute to secure all three pointsalthough the performance itself did not fully satisfy Allegri.
Speak with Sky Sports Italy after the match, Allegri gave a blunt assessment of Milan’s Champions League ambitions: “We are doing good things, but what we have done so far is not enough to qualify for the Champions League. Now we have three important away games ahead of us and a large part of our season will be decided there.“
After finishing ninth in Serie A last season and losing the Coppa Italia final, Milan missed the European competition this year. However, the lighter schedule allowed the club to fully commit to a new project under Allegri, a process that is starting to bear fruit. the Rossoneri remain firmly in the top half of the table.
AC Milan’s Niclas Fuellkrug celebrates his goal against Lecce.
Within that context, Allegri has consistently emphasized that the goal is not the Scudetto, but a top-four finish. When asked by DAZN Italia when he would stop repeating that message, the Milan coach was direct: “If we are mathematically in the top four. There is still time. I repeat that as of today the threshold for the Champions League is 74 points, while the Scudetto threshold is 86-88.“
see also
Christian Pulisic joins historic moment despite absence: Milan’s win against Como sees USMNT star enter Serie A record books with impressive milestone
What’s next for AC Milan?
By the victory over Lecce AC Milan climbed to second place in Serie A with 46 points from 21 gameswith Inter Milan trailing by 49 points at the top. Napoli sit third with 43 points, closely followed by AS Roma with 42, creating a hard-fought race where every point lost could be costly in the battle for Champions League qualification.
As Allegri noted, Milan now face a demanding road ahead with the home game against Como postponed. The Rossoneri travel to the face Rome on January 25 in a crucial clash, before visiting Bologna on February 3 And Pisa on February 15a run that could significantly shape the trajectory of their season.
#Christian #Pulisic #Milan #receive #Champions #League #warning #Allegri #win #Lecce