Atletico reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a narrow victory over Manchester City

So Manchester United have been eliminated from European Cup matches, with Atletico Madrid the offender for the Brits. Manchester United lost 0-1 at Old Trafford in their UEFA Champions League 1/8 final home game.

The first leg between the teams ended in a draw. And even though the Moyes were considered favourites for both games, the team’s level of play seriously alarmed the fans. The team, to put it mildly, looked a little pale in comparison to the Madrid side, who were playing some very good football with a reliance on the counterattack. Madrid dominated the game, with the result less of a winner, but one side’s advantage was evident.

Reasons for exclusion

The biggest problem for Atlético and mentor Diego Simeone was staffing. Ferreira-Carrasco, Vrsalco, Cunha and Lemar had to be replaced, and it was difficult to rely on Kondogbia, Correa and Hermoso, and those players predictably watched the game from the bench. As a result, Simeone put De Paul and Coque on the central line and strengthened the attack with Griezmann. And such a strategy worked.

MJ coach Ralf Rangnick did not include only Shaw in the announced line-up for the game and sent Lindelöf to the reserves. But he did make some serious changes: McTominay played in place of Pogba and Elanga in place of Rashford. He put Talles and Dalot on the defensive line.

First half

The first half of the game was, and it’s no exaggeration to say, fantastic. For the fans of both teams, their display of football was simply a celebration. The speed of the players with the ball, lots of chances, frequent runs into the penalty area of rivals – everything was just great. During the first half, Manchester United dominated the initiative. However, the Atletico players were very effective in midfield and on the counterattack.    

With seven shots on goal and four shots on target, Manchester United created only one real scoring chance in the entire first half. In the 13th minute, Elanga was denied an almost 100 per cent chance to score. And before the break, Bruno struck a good shot from long range, but Atletico goalkeeper Oblak was up to the task.

Madrid had three dangerous attacks throughout the first half, two of which resulted in goals, but one of the goals was not counted for offside.

The Spaniards managed to level the scores in the 41st minute. It was a combination of Elenga and Felic who gave the ball to Griezmann who then crossed and Lodi who unlocked the ball.  

Second half

“Atletico opted for a typical Eurocup strategy of holding on to their earlier advantage. Manchester United’s attempt to impose their opponents’ favourable tactic of cross-rolling and one-on-one tackling was unsuccessful. If in the first game this “trick” could be said to have been successful, at Old Trafford it followed a very different scenario.

The British had a few very good chances to level the score, but each time they came up short in the final stages. However, for most of the second half, the Münter players tried to break through the opponent’s very effective defence, and not always successfully. As a result, Atlético managed to defend the result until the final whistle and eventually reach the quarter-finals.