Timing is everything: USMNT star Christian Pulisic excels in big games, catalyzing AC Milan's Champions League win over Real Madrid

There is probably no more difficult task in club football than away to Real Madrid. The Spanish giants are the kings of this competition, last season and seemingly all of them before. In games like this, Real Madrid's aura almost always proves to be too much. At some point everyone blinks.

Well, not everyone. Christian Pulisic certainly doesn't, and neither does AC Milan. Behind another great performance from their American superstar, AC Milan saw off Real Madrid and won on Tuesday, making a real statement in this new-look Champions League group stage.

As is often the case, Pulisic was the catalyst. Thanks to his early assist, Milan secured a gigantic 3-1 win against the reigning champions, making a huge statement after a slow start to the Champions League season. At the start of this game, Milan felt like they were faltering; Now it looks like they're tackling the bigger challenges that lie ahead.

With Pulisic in this form, they are ready for any of these opportunities. The American was once again fantastic, as he has been all season. His goal numbers have dipped recently, but Pulisic still finds ways to make an impact and ultimately win games. On Tuesday he did it again, directly setting up a Milan goal while also cranking up the sequence for another to help his side score a win as important as any this season.