In Milan, a difficult European night has left Mike Maignan addressing his dismissal publicly after the goalkeeper’s sending-off contributed to a 3-0 Europa League defeat against Bournemouth.
The news from the club
Maignan used an Instagram story to explain the incident involving Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams, which brought a straight red card around the half-hour mark of Thursday’s third matchday in the Europa League league phase.
The France international was dismissed at a corner while Milan were already 1-0 behind. He pushed Adams with both hands to the face, an action judged to be violent conduct. Marcus Tavernier converted the resulting penalty against substitute goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani to make it 2-0, before Bournemouth completed a 3-0 victory.
Explaining his actions, Maignan said he had been trying to create room for himself in the penalty area, as goalkeepers do during matches. He nevertheless accepted that the episode had projected the wrong image, particularly for younger supporters watching the game.
It was the third red card of Maignan’s career: one came during his time at Lille, while the other two have been as a Milan player.
The Milan captain insisted that neither the squad nor the coaching staff would doubt his character or intentions. He said those inside the club know the person and captain he is, adding that abandoning his team is never part of his thinking.
Maignan also took issue with some of the reaction around the incident, saying the team is familiar with the interpretations made by certain individuals and media outlets.
Europa League position
The defeat leaves Milan on three points and in 24th place, the final position that still carries qualification for the Europa League play-off round.
