Harry Maguire clashed with Cristiano Ronaldo in Manchester United's loss to Atletico Madrid as he accidentally headbutted his teammate.
The pair were looking to find an equaliser that could've forced extra-time at Old Trafford. Their attempts failed as Atletico Madrid ran out 1-0 winners in the north west and Ronaldo was forced to take a hit for his efforts as United prepared for a set piece in the 66th minute.
Maguire and Ronaldo lined up in close proximity and, as the centre-half attempted to move and evade his marker, was unaware that his teammate was so close and struck him in the face with the back of his head. It left Ronaldo in pain as he hit the ground.
The Portuguese superstar had scored a hat-trick at the weekend as United saw off Tottenham at Old Trafford. He has enjoyed huge success against Atletico during his Real Madrid and Juventus spells, but was unable to notch against Diego Simeone's side this time round.
Maguire took issue with some of the tactics employed by the visitors as he suggested they were too easy to go down, which continued to stem the flow of the game and waste time. He told beIN Sports : "The style in Europe… it’s not for me to comment on but every time you touch someone it’s a foul. Anthony [Elanga] has a header early on, he heads it over, the keeper [Jan Oblak] clatters him and he gets a foul for it.
"It’s a different style but maybe we need to learn and grow from it. We got too frustrated and started losing our shape and the momentum. It’s something we need to learn from."
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He went on to add: "The decisions didn’t go our way tonight but we had long enough to get back in the game and get an equaliser and we didn’t do it. We’re all disappointed. It’s a sad dressing room right now. The lads are gutted. We thought we did enough to get something from the game but ultimately we’re out of the Champions League and the lads are gutted."
Maguire has struggled for form throughout the season and was substituted by Ralf Rangnick with six minutes remaining as Juan Mata came on. His withdrawal was met by sarcastic cheers from some corners of Old Trafford.
Ronaldo shook his head at full-time as his hopes of winning any silverware in his first year back at United came to an end. Instead focus will now turn to finishing fourth with the Red Devils facing an uphill battle to overcome rivals Arsenal.
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