Theo Hernández’s red card for two bookable offences, the second a speculative dive that was correctly ruled as simulation, turned Milan’s tie with Feyenoord in the Dutch team’s favour.
“I wanted to define an era, to make history at Real Madrid,” Mbappé said afterwards, and the first target is winning the Champions League.
Bruno Lage’s team have the toughest possible draw in the next round – either Barcelona or Liverpool await – but in Pavlidis and their attacking play, they can be a threat to both teams.
These are high times for Dutch football, though the country’s traditional power, Ajax, can only watch from the Europa League as Feyenoord and PSV downed Italian giants.
“We have been extraordinarily extraordinary in the past, but not any more,” he continued but in such a sound defeat, one preluded by City’s manager claiming his team had just a “1%” chance of progressing, there must be disappointment.
