Christian Pulisic scored one of the most important goals of his career in Tuesday’s Group B finale against Iran. But he also suffered an injury on the play that forced him out of the game.
The Chelsea star was left laying on the pitch after opening the scoring for his side in the must-win match when he converted a cross into the box from Sergiño Dest. While the official diagnosis was an abdominal injury, replays showed Pulisic was struck in a sensitive area by the knee of Iran goaltender Alireza Beiranvand, leading many American fans to take to social media to thank Pulisic for sacrificing himself for their nation.
It was later reported by the U.S. Men’s National Team that the forward suffered a pelvic contusion, and is day-to-day ahead of their round of 16 matchup against the Netherlands.
Brenden Aaronson replaced Pulisic to start the second half.