An astonishing statistic has emerged which has unveiled a shocking revelation about the final 30 minutes of Manchester United’s last 16 UCL clash with Atletico Madrid.
Man United were sent crashing out of Champions League in the last 16 by Atletico Madrid thanks to Renan Lodi’s first-half header.
However, while everyone was perfectly aware of the ‘dark arts’ tactics Atletico typically employ in order to see them through games, last nights performance would have to be up there as one of their best (or worst) displays.
A succession of little fouls and feigning injuries from the Atletico side meant that the final 30 minutes of the game between the two teams at Old Trafford only saw the ball in play for just 11 minutes and 19 seconds.
View this post on Instagram
While United were ultimately not good enough in the second half, the constant disruption to the game inflicted on it by the La Liga champions meant it was impossible to inject any sort of flow into the game.
Referee Slavko Vincic and his team somehow came to the conclusion that only four minutes of added time were necessary, with United’s interim manager saying the ref fell for the tricks of Atletico too often.
Rangnick: "I also think the referee fell for most of those time-wasting antics. I can't remember the game in the second half fir more than two or three minutes without being interrupted." #mulive [@beINSPORTS_EN] pic.twitter.com/nvvkXzL6h8
— utdreport (@utdreport) March 15, 2022
Pictures from beIN Sports