Papers criticise five Milan stars after disappointing 0-1 Feyenoord loss | OneFootball

Five Milan players have come under fire in the Italian press following the disappointing 1-0 loss away to Feyenoord in the Champions League play-off round on Wednesday night, as Sergio Conceicao’s team now face a difficult task in the second leg in San Siro next week.

The Rossoneri were defeated by a scoreline of 1-0 in the Netherlands on Wednesday night. The evening got off to a poor start for the Rossoneri, who were caught with too many players forward three minutes in, before Igor Paixao fired a shot at Mike Maignan’s net, which the Frenchman allowed to slip underneath him from distance.

Five Milan players criticised after Feyenoord loss

Maignan is one of the players who have come under criticism in Thursday’s papers for his error against Feyenoord. On his best form, there is no doubt that he would have been able to deal with Paixao’s shot with relative comfort.

TURIN, ITALY – JANUARY 18: Mike Maignan of AC Milan react during the Serie A match between Juventus and AC Milan at Allianz Stadium on January 18, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

La Gazzetta dello Sport labelled Maignan’s mistake as a ‘sensational oversight’ while also claiming that he no longer brings Milan much security in front of goal.

There was much excitement to see Milan’s new ‘fab four’ line up together for the first time on Wednesday night, however, the unit that includes Rafael Leao, Joao Felix, Christian Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez have also come under criticism in Thursday’s papers.

Corriere dello Sport wrote that the four players failed to open up spaces in the Feyenoord back line, and struggled to threaten their Dutch opponents on the attack. The Italian outlet also suggests that Milan required speed and intensity rather than individual flair on the night.