Former Milan coach Fabio Capello disagreed with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who said the second yellow card for Theo Hernandez was ‘harsh’: ‘He always dives, Zlatan.’
Milan were eliminated from the Champions League knockout playoff on Tuesday after a 1-1 home draw against Feyenoord, which gave the Dutch side a 2-1 aggregate victory.
Rossoneri star Theo Hernandez was sent off in the second half, receiving a second yellow card for diving. Milan were 1-0 up but conceded the equaliser after the Frenchman’s sending-off.
Red Bird Advisor Ibrahimovic said the team “lacked maturity” but added that referee Szymon Marciniak was ‘harsh’ in giving Theo Hernandez a second yellow card for diving.
Sky Sport Italia pundit Capello, a former Milan coach and Ibrahimovic’s ex-manager at Juventus, disagreed with him.
“Talking about Theo’s yellow card, he could have a justification, but he always does these things, Zlatan,” Capello said.
“He always dives, and this time, he found a fair referee who gave him a second yellow. But the worst thing is not the diving. It was that puerility in the first half when he got the first yellow card.”
Ibra replied: “When these situations happen, you can’t really say whether they are fair or not. Theo is not an actor; he plays his game. On the first booking, he pulled the shirt, but these things happen on the pitch.”
Capello enjoyed the Milan performance in the first half, and even though the red card for Theo was probably decisive, the former coach felt Sergio Conceiçao should have made some substitutions earlier.
“He waited too long to change. He replaced a striker for another striker; he left Joao Felix in midfield, who was exhausted,” Capello noted.
Milan’s next Serie A match is against Torino on February 22. The Rossoneri currently sit 7th in the table, five points below the top four but with a game in hand.
