United was knocked out of the Champions League in a 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, ending the last road to a title at an Old Trafford accustomed to disappointments.
Manchester United,
Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United gestures during the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 match between Manchester United and Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. (Dave Thompson/AP Photo)
Manchester United's trophy drought enters its fifth season, confirming their high-priced mediocrity.
United was knocked out of the Champions League in a 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, ending the last road to a title at an Old Trafford accustomed to disappointments.
"I wasn't playing a few months ago, but things have changed now, and I'm extremely glad," said Lodi, a 23-year-old left winger. "It's a difficult role." I'm learning and working on it."
Renan Lodi of Atletico Madrid heads the ball past Diogo Dalot of Manchester United to score his team's first goal during the Champions League round of 16, second leg match between Manchester United and Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. (Dave Thompson/AP Photo)
David de Gea, the team's savior, has been defeated so many times. The goalkeeper bears the brunt of the grief, since he is the sole starter who has remained in the team since the end of the trophy-laden Alex Ferguson era in 2013.
De Gea stated, "Of course, it's not good enough." "It's difficult on the club, us, and the fans." We are now in this situation. It's a challenging circumstance, but we must persevere."
Before Ferguson retired and the lethargy set in, Cristiano Ronaldo left Old Trafford. After winning trophies at Real Madrid and Juventus, the 37-year-old star returns to be the difference-maker this season.
with teammate Paul Pogba during the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 match between Manchester United and Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. (Dave Thompson/AP Photo)
Rather than dazzle, as he did against Tottenham on Saturday, Ronaldo failed to register a single shot against the Spanish champions.
Instead, United had to rely on defender Raphael Varane to try to equalize in the second half, but Jan Oblak saved his header. Three weeks after a 1-1 stalemate in Madrid that meant nothing since away goals were no longer an advantage, United couldn't find a way past the goalkeeper.
Atletico captain Koke remarked, "In my opinion, Oblak is the best goalkeeper in the world." "He's done it before, and he's done it again tonight."
Atletico Madrid demonstrated how to win on the road by scoring from one of only three shots on target.
Rodrigo De Paul, whose long-range shot was denied by De Gea in the first half, remarked, "We suffered when we had to and hit when we got the chance here in a fantastic stadium, against a great squad."
Diego Simeone, a two-time runner-up in the Champions League, will lead Atletico back to the quarterfinals in 2020. With Atletico hanging to fourth position domestically after winning the title last season, Europe is the platform for the team to step up its game this season.
Juan Mata of Manchester United gestures with referee Slavko Vincic during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Manchester United and Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. (Dave Thompson/AP Photo)
Griezmann added, "We wanted to show tonight that we're a tremendously tough side to play against." "We wanted to be more consistent at this level and move on."
United has only had two appearances in the Champions League quarterfinals in the last ten years, in 2014 and 2019.
United hasn't won a trophy since the 1970s, with the Europa League in 2017 being the most recent award for, at least historically, English football's most successful team.
Since Ferguson's retirement as manager nine years ago, he has spent more than $1 billion on transfers, but there hasn't been anything to show for it.
Because of the insecurity at United, interim coach Ralf Rangnick has presided over the club's early exits from the FA Cup and the Champions League in 2022.
"It was difficult in the second half," the German, who led Schalke to the Champions League semifinals in 2011, remarked. "I don't think the game lasted more than three minutes; it was constantly interrupted, and someone was continually lying."
"There were several strange refereeing decisions as well. I wouldn't say they were crucial, but he did fall for those time-wasting shenanigans much too frequently, and four minutes additional time was a joke for me in the end."
For whoever is in charge of United now, the focus is to reclaim fourth place in the Premier League and return to the Champions League next season.
Erik ten Hag, whose Ajax squad was also eliminated in Tuesday's other last-16 second leg, is a potential full-time successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was sacked in December. Benfica won 1-0 in Amsterdam to advance 3-2 on aggregate thanks to Darwin Nunez's goal.
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