On February 19, AC Milan played the second leg of the Champions League play-off against Feyenoord. In the first leg, Milan lost 0-1 and had to win if they wanted to continue. However, Conceicao and his team only held their opponents to a 1-1 draw, thereby being eliminated with a total score of 1-2.
In the second leg, AC Milan lit up hope with Santiago Gimenez leading. However, defender Theo Hernandez was sent off again, after receiving a second yellow card for a foul. This situation caused Milan to lose the game, creating an opportunity for Feyenoord to equalize.
After the match, coach Sergio Conceicao expressed regret for the red card. The AC Milan coach was quoted by Football Italia: "The match showed that we were stronger than the opponent and but the decisive moment made the difference, like in Zagreb. The previous match had 1 red card and this match is no exception.
You can blame the referee too harshly, but we should have been stronger mentally. I will take responsibility, not Theo. We will talk about it more in the dressing room. Theo has contributed a lot to Milan and I have also made many mistakes in my career.
We were angry. Until Theo received a red card, Feyenoord did not know how to approach our goal. We were disappointed and angry.
According to Hernandez, his future at AC Milan was already unclear before the match. The contract of the French star and Rossoneri is only valid until 2026, but the extension process is facing many difficulties. In addition, the mistake that caused Milan to be eliminated from the Champions League, perhaps Theo's time to leave San Siro is approaching.
