UEFA Champions League 2022: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United sent packing from Old Trafford as Atletico Madrid win

Manchester United are left to focus on a Premier League campaign where they face a real battle to make the top four and earn a place in next year’s Champions League. 

Atletico Madrid knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League and moved into the quarter-finals after a 41st minute header from Brazilian Renan Lodi gave them a 1-0 (2-1 aggregate) win at Old Trafford on Tuesday (March 15). It was a typical display of the kind of gritty defending and swift counter-attacking for which Diego Simeone’s Atletico side have been known while United, for all their pressure, were unable to create enough quality opportunities to get themselves the goal they needed.

United are left to focus on a Premier League campaign where they face a real battle to make the top four and earn a place in next year’s Champions League. The Spanish champions may not be favourites to reach the final in Paris on May 28 but none of the teams in the last eight will be hoping to be drawn against them.

After Saturday’s win over Tottenham Hotspur, inspired by a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick, there was a positive mood around Old Trafford and the night began brightly for United with Anthony Elanga forcing a fine reflex save out of Jan Oblak with a near post flick from a Bruno Fernandes cross. United’s Spanish keeper David de Gea then produced an outstanding diving save to push wide a long range effort from Rodrigo De Paul.

Joao Felix then had the ball in the net, tapping in a cross from Marcos Llorente but the effort was ruled out for offside. There was no reprieve though for United, though, when after a trademark Atletico counter-attack, a clever flick from Joao Felix found Antoine Griezmann whose cross was nodded in at the back post by Lodi.

United argued that the move had followed a foul on Elanga deep in Atletico’s half but referee Slavko Vincic waved away their protests. Fernandes ended the half with a fierce shot that again tested Oblak to the full and raised hopes among the home support ahead of the second half.