Milan secured the second place thanks to a 3-1 victory over Verona and yet another slip-up by Juventus (0-0 with Genoa). Theo Hernandez opened the scoring for the Rossoneri at the 44th minute, unlocking the match at Bentegodi. However, his celebration caused quite a stir both on the field and on social media.
Theo Hernandez's Celebration: What Happened in Verona-Milan
The French left-back celebrated like Federico Dimarco, his sports rival and left-back for Inter. Almost mimicking the Nerazzurri player, which did not sit well with Inter fans, who did not hide their displeasure on social media. Or at least that's what it seemed initially from the Milan defender's celebrations. The prevailing theory is that Theo celebrated like Dimarco to mock him after Inter's elimination from the Champions League by Atletico Madrid.
However, as can be seen from some photos of previous matches, Theo Hernandez had celebrated in that manner on other occasions as well. Already in 2020, for example, the Frenchman had posted photos of himself during that celebration. After the goal celebrations in Verona, Theo Hernandez was also booked and will therefore miss the next match, scheduled after the break against Fiorentina, as he was already on a caution.
The referee Mariani penalized the player for a celebration he deemed provocative towards the Hellas bench. A decision by the referee that also infuriated Stefano Pioli.
The Frenchman repeatedly asked the referee for explanations, who, however, stood by his decision. From the images reviewed live, Theo seems to have responded to some unwelcome words he heard and reacted with a hand gesture ('talk, talk') that the match official did not appreciate. Even the Verona coach, Baroni, asked Theo for explanations. The two clarified shortly after.
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