Video: Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire incident summed up second half v Atletico

Manchester United was knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night, and both Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo had bad nights.

Maguire, who has battled for most of the season, was booed off the field by some United fans when he was replaced by Juan Mata with five minutes remaining.

The Manchester United captain made several bad decisions in both boxes and even put his own teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, in pain during a set-piece in the second half.

United was finding it difficult to break through their well-drilled opponents, who had taken the lead just before halftime through Renan Lodi.

With Maguire and Ronaldo in their ranks, set-pieces provided an opportunity to put Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak to the test.

Maguire inadvertently headbutts Ronaldo

Maguire was seen in one United corner attempting to hold off a couple of Atleti players in order to create a yard of space for Ronaldo.

Cristiano, on the other hand, was left holding his teeth in anguish after Maguire accidentally but bizarrely headbutted him.

Maguire also appeared to have attempted to hit himself with Reinaldo Mandava’s hand in a desperate attempt to get a penalty for his team.

If any moment typified up United’s second-half performance against Diego Simeone’s team, it was undoubtedly this one.

Ronaldo then attempted to head the ball but was spotted covering his mouth again when it went out of play.

The great Portuguese attacker had certainly taken a big hit from Maguire’s back of the head.

Atletico Madrid was difficult to break down for United.

Despite the fact that they needed a goal to come back into the game, United only had one shot on goal in the second half.

Atletico Madrid’s veteran and streetwise players expertly restrained their opponents and rightly secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

What is Manchester United’s next step?

In terms of where United goes from here, it’s obvious that choosing the right permanent manager ahead of the 2022-23 season is critical.

Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag, both of whom have exited the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain and Ajax in the last week, remain the frontrunners for the position.

Meanwhile, Ralf Rangnick is set to return to Old Trafford as a consultant after his stint as the club’s temporary manager expires.

Watching Harry Maguire is an inspiration. It tells us that we can be anything if he himself can be a professional footballer pic.twitter.com/ROW5FfZF8y

— GaviSZN⚡️ (@TotalGavi) March 15, 2022