Cristiano Ronaldo was almost on the verge of equalizing for Manchester United in their clash with Atletico Madrid but Harry Maguire collided with Mr. Champions League (Cristiano Ronaldo) to prevent him from making a decent attempt.
At Old Trafford, the two were aiming for an equalizer that would force extra time. Their efforts were unsuccessful, as Atletico Madrid won 1-0 in the northwest, and Ronaldo was forced to take a knock as United prepared for a set piece in the 66th minute.
Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo lined up in close proximity, and the center-back was unaware that his teammate was so near and whacked him in the face with the back of his head as he attempted to move and dodge his marker. As he hit the ground, Ronaldo was in excruciating pain.
At the weekend, the Portuguese superstar scored a hat-trick as United defeated Tottenham at Old Trafford. During his time at Real Madrid and Juventus, he had a lot of success against Atletico, but he was unable to score against Diego Simeone’s team this time.
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Maguire took issue with several of the visitors’ tactics, claiming they were too simple to break down, which continued to stymie the game’s flow and waste time. “The style in Europe… it’s not for me to comment on, because every time you touch someone it’s a foul,” he told beIN Sports. Early on, Anthony [Elanga] has a header, heads it over, and the goalie [Jan Oblak] clatters him, earning him a foul.
“It’s a new approach, but it’s possible that we can learn and grow from it.” We became frustrated and began to lose our shape and momentum. It’s something we should take note of.”
“The decisions didn’t go our way tonight,” he continued, “but we had enough time to get back in the game and get an equalizer, and we didn’t do it.” We’re all dissatisfied. Right now, it’s a depressing dressing room. The lads are in shambles. We thought we did enough to save the game, but in the end, we were eliminated from the Champions League, and the players are devastated.”
Maguire has struggled for form this season and was replaced with Juan Mata by Ralf Rangnick with six minutes remaining. Some Old Trafford fans greeted his departure with mocking cheers.
At full-time, Ronaldo shook his head as his dreams of winning any silverware in his first year back at United faded. Instead, the attention will shift to finishing fourth, with the Red Devils facing a difficult task in defeating Arsenal.
