Manchester: Renan Lodi scored the winning goal as Atletico Madrid pipped Manchester United 1-0 in the Round-of-16 second leg at Old Trafford here on Tuesday to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Atletico moved into the next round with a 2-1 aggregate scoreline. Four minutes from half-time, left wing-back Lodi headed the Spanish side into the lead after Antoine Griezmann delivered a delightful cross. Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak made a few brilliant saves to keep the lead intact and deny United a spot in the last-eight. Meanwhile, Benfica won 1-0 at Ajax to qualify for the quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.
United had a lot of the ball without really troubling Oblak after that, and Atletico became more confident on the break as the first half progressed. Joao Felix had a goal disallowed for offside and then Renan Lodi headed Atletico into the lead after an excellent move.
The United players thought the goal should have been disallowed for a foul on Elanga, and their frustration grew during a niggly, stop-start second half.
Ralf Rangnick made multiple changes, including the surprise substitution of Bruno Fernandes. But United became too desperate, too early and were unable to generate any momentum. Oblak made one fine save from a Raphael Varane header but was otherwise untested.
Atletico gave a masterful demonstration of unashamedly cynical game management. They were aided by a weak refereeing performance, but that could not obscure an unpalatable truth: United were outsmarted by a team that is nowhere near Europeās elite.