INTERNATIONAL: Manchester United's interim manager Ralf Rangnick took aim at Atletico Madrid for "time-wasting antics" after his team was eliminated from the Champions League by the Spanish champions on Tuesday (March 15).
A Renan Lodi header in the 41st minute earned a 1-0 win on the night for Atletico and a 2-1 aggregate victory that puts them into the last eight.
United had been on top before conceding against the run of play and they threw themselves forward after the break but came up against a solid Spanish defense.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone was full of praise for his team's commitment.
"This team will dive into a swimming pool whether there is water in it or not," he said.
Simeone also said he did not notice United fans hurling objects at him as he rushed off the pitch following the match.
The incident will likely feature in the UEFA match delegate's report on the game and that would trigger a disciplinary investigation and any eventual sanction against the home team.
RALF RANGNICK, SAYING:
“Against a team like Atletico, it’s highly important that you score the first goal yourself, and if you don’t do that, then it is even more important not to concede a goal. And one minute before halftime, we conceded that goal in a transitional moment. I believe there was a foul on Anthony Elanga before that, but the linesman and the referee didn’t see it that way. And that’s why we were 1-0 down at halftime. I think we shouldn’t have been 1-0 down at halftime. We were the better team in the first half, but as I said, it’s important to score the first goal yourself – even more so against a team like Atletico. And the second half, well, I don’t know if the game was played for more than two minutes without being interrupted, without somebody lying on the floor. I think there were some curious refereeing decisions. I wouldn’t necessarily say they were decisive, maybe the one before they scored, but I think the referee made it pretty easy for Atletico to do their time-wasting antics. And that didn’t make it any easier for us. It was frustrating, difficult for us in the second half. We tried everything. We had two or three moments after set pieces, but from normal play we didn’t produce that many chances.”
