Hayen believes Club Brugge’s ‘battery ran out’ against Milan’s ‘quality’ | OneFootball

Club Brugge head coach Nicky Hayen has spoken about the red card that was awarded to his side in their defeat to AC Milan, who he admitted had more quality on the night.

Milan finally got off the mark in the Champions League with a 3-1 victory against Club Brugge, with Tijjani Reijnders scoring a match-winning brace, yet the scoreline doesn’t really begin to tell the story of what was a tough night.

The Rossoneri took the lead in strange circumstances as Christian Pulisic fired in a corner that beat everyone at the near post and went in for an Olimpico. Then, Raphael Onyedika saw red for going with his studs into Reijnders, so the game seemed in control.

However, 10-man Brugge got themselves level through Sabbe to stun the San Siro crowd, but then two substitutes – Noah Okafor and Samuel Chukwueze – each set up Tijjani Reijnders as the Rossoneri scored twice in quick succession to earn the victory.

Hayen spoken in the press conference room at San Siro immediately after the full-time whistle to assess what was a night full of positives for his side but with no points. MilanNews relayed his comments.

Is it a case of the same story repeating itself?

“Yes, always the same story. We had the chance to take the lead in the first half, then a corner and Milan took the lead.”

How do you view the red card for Onyedika?

“I haven’t seen it again yet. Onyedika tries to recover the ball, but it was a very strong challenge. We adapted, we equalised, then 2-1 and 3-1 and we tried to avoid the worst.”

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What happened after 2-1?

“We tried to close down the flanks and the inside. We played well until 2-1, then our battery ran out. Milan have a lot of quality. They tried to break our organisation.”

What do you think of Leao?

“The fans were not happy with Leao’s susbtitution. It was Milan’s quality that hurt us, not so much the individuals.”

You have received many compliments…

“We are proud of these positive comments, but we didn’t get any points. In the Champions League you have to be more cynical.”