FC Midtjylland laments 100+ minutes with 10 men in Europa League exit

FC Midtjylland's Europa League dreams have been dashed following a 0-3 aggregate defeat to Turkish side Besiktas. The Danish club struggled significantly due to disciplinary issues, having players sent off in both legs of the tie. This resulted in Midtjylland playing with 10 men for more than 110 minutes across the two matches.

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You cannot play with 10 men for over 100 minutes against a team like Besiktas.

In the second leg played in Herning, defender Martin Erlic received his second yellow card shortly after halftime while the score was still 0-0. Coach Mike Tullberg lamented the impact of the red card, stating, "You cannot play with 10 men for over 100 minutes against a team like Besiktas." He acknowledged that players do not intentionally get sent off but expressed frustration over the timing of the dismissal, which he felt broke the team's momentum.

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Martin is a grown man. There is no player who does it on purpose.

Despite the disadvantage, Midtjylland created several good chances. Franculino hit the post twice in the first half of the return leg. Defender Mads Bech Sørensen expressed disappointment with the result, noting that the team played a strong first half and should have been leading by halftime. He emphasized the difficulty of playing with a numerical disadvantage for such an extended period.

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The game broke at the red card.

"Set over two games, we have played more than 100 minutes in undertal. It was difficult conditions, and while we played 11 against 11, I actually think it looked very good," Sørensen said. FC Midtjylland will now shift their focus to the Conference League qualification, seeking to salvage European success this season.

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We played a really nice half, and it's a shame we weren't ahead at halftime.