Borrusia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic had a phenomenal game against Liverpool in the International Champions Cup. But he couldn’t win the man of the match award only because of one problem – he wasn’t old enough.
Pulisic scored a brace in Dortmund’s 3-1 win against Liverpool.
Pulisic scored two second-half goals and helped set up a third in a 3-1 win in Charlotte, N.C.
On most days, that would be enough to be named the game’s top performer. However, Sunday’s award was sponsored by Heineken, and the 19-year-old Pulisic was not eligible.
It was due to the legal drinking age in the United States being 21. Instead, the award went to Virgil van Dijk, who in addition to scoring a first-half goal for Liverpool. He is 27-year old and can legally drink alcohol in the U.S.
Despite missing the award on a technicality, Pulisic put on a show at Bank of America Stadium after being introduced as a half-time substitute. Pulisic won a 66th-minute penalty that he converted himself. Then he grabbed an 89th-minute winner by finishing off a flowing Dortmund counter-attack.
Deep into stoppage time, the U.S. international beat his defender in the box, and Loris Karius parried his shot into the path of Jacob Bruun Larsen. And, he finished it into an empty net. The U.S. star will look to continue his strong ICC performances on Wednesday against Benfica. Though, Man of the Match award will remain beyond his reach.
The scoreline perhaps flattered the Germans, but as Klopp said afterwards, “Football is a results game, and you always get a fair result.”
Pulisic can do no wrong in this country, and he was winning fans even after the final whistle had blown. As he conducted his post-game interviews on the pitch, a young fan appeared, pleading for an autograph.
Security got involved in ridiculously heavy-handed fashion, dragging the youngster away. Angry Pulisic, took it upon himself to intervene, making sure the supporter was safe and that he got the signature he wanted.