Manchester United’s Rangnick: referee missed free-kick before Atlético goal

Ralf Rangnick said the referee’s failure to award a free-kick in the buildup to Atlético Madrid’s winner was decisive as Manchester United were knocked out of the Champions League last 16.

Renan Lodi’s 41st-minute strike means it will be at least five seasons since United last won a trophy. The goal occurred after a coming together of Anthony Elanga and Reinildo Mandava, with the referee, Slavko Vinic, judging there was no foul.

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Rangnick said: “There were some curious refereeing decisions, I wouldn’t necessarily say decisive – maybe the one they scored. I believe it was a foul on Anthony Elanga, the referee and linesman didn’t see it that way. He [Vinic] made it pretty easy for Atlético to do their time-wasting antics and it didn’t make it any easier for us. In the second half, I don’t know if the game was played for more than two minutes without being interrupted with someone lying on the floor.”

Rangnick was asked if his players had failed to turn up for their biggest game of the season. “We didn’t score, that’s true. We played a good first half, all those things that we planned to do in the first half the team did. The only thing we didn’t achieve is to convert that energetic performance into the first goal and against a team like Atlético it’s highly important you score the first goal.

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“And it’s more important not to concede a goal and we conceded just before half-time in a transitional moment.

“We shouldn’t have been 1-0 down at half-time, we were the better team in the first half. It’s important to score first – even more so against a