Welcome to Sportstar's highlights of the UEFA Champions League 2021-22 clash between Manchester United and Atletico de Madrid being played at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain.
This was Neeladri Bhattacharjee bringing you the pre-match buildup minute-by-minute updates of this high-voltage clash. That was all for the night. Thanks for tuning in and take very good care of yourselves.
Match Report:
Full Time
Atletico Madrid 1-1 Manchester United
90+2' Bruno and Telles pair up at the edge of the final third and the Brazilian's cross goes out for a corner. The corner eventually falls for Elanga, who fails to beat Kondongbia to it and concedes a foul to end the attack
89' A quick free kick resumes the play after an Atletico foul and Elanga chases the ball upto Oblak who kicks the ball out for a throw in
87' A set piece for Atletico and the ball falls for Griezmann, who takes a curling shot which hits the post. United escapes a second for the second time tonight!
85' United is forced to go back and David De Gea clears the ball away and the opposition fans are back singing at the Metropolitano. What a game we have got in our hands here!
80' GOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!! Atletico is caught napping as Elanga makes a solo run, gets the pass from Bruno and then finishes in style past Jan Oblak
Atletico Madrid 1-1 Manchester United
79' Cristiano Ronaldo takes the free kick, but it is off target amid whistles and jeers from the Atletico Madrid fans
78' Free Kick! Mancheter United gets a free kick from a very dangerous position, Ronaldo and Bruno step up for the kick
75' Yellow Card! Fred gets a booking for dissent after Atletico gets a corner kick and the kick that follows has Kondongbia go for goal from distance, but the shot is off target
73' Great run along the left flank by Lodi and the cross is cleared by Maguire.
72' Just 20 more minutes of regulation time left and with the away goal advantage gone, United will look to bounce back sooner than later. So far, no serious threat for Oblak has arrived
66' Double Substitution for Man United! In: Alex Telles, Nemanja Matic, Out: Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba
65' It is raining yellow cards now! Marcus Rashford brings down Llorente and gets into the book this time
63' Foul! Pogba tries to make a run along the right flank and Reinildo tries to stop him and brings the Frenchman down. Reinildo continues to argue with the referee for the foul and gets into the book as a result
62' Renan Lodi tries to run rings around Linedelof, but the Swede is having none of it and gets the ball back and plays in back into the midfield.
60' Yellow Card! Felix tries to atack on the break, but Lindelof stops him on his tracks only to get booked after the hasty challenge
59' Off side! Felix makes a run behind the Man United defence and the linesman raises the flag to end that attack for the boys in red-and-white
57' Shot! Marcus Rashford tries to go for the magnificent, with a hot from the midfield and the ball flies off target along with United's hopes of scoring a goal with that attempt
55' Chance! Pogba passes the ball to Bruno in the penalty box and just before Bruno could take a shot, Savic intervenes to steal the ball away
54' United tries to go on a swift attack, trying to beat Atletico on the pace, but Bruno is thwarted in the midfield and teh ball moves to Pogba on the other side after a throw in.
51' Shaw is penalised for a foul on Vrsaljko. TH free kick that follows is cleared out of danger by the United defence as the team tries to play square back passes to build an attack from scratch
50' Ronaldo and Sancho pair up this time to build an attack, as the ball then moves to Bruno. Ronaldo makes a run into the box for a cross, but Bruno's long ball is way overhit
48' Vrsaljko crosses in from the right, but Lindelof clears it only for another corner kick. United in the back foot again
47' The corner kick, initially headed away, falls for Llorente, who tries a shot from distance only to see it go off target for a goal kick
46' Manchester United looks to play form the back and Atletico is back pressing high, forcing the Red Devils to make mistakes and this time Felix goes for goal from distance and gets a corner kick
Second Half Begins!
Half-Time
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Manchester United
45' Off the post! Another cross from Renan Lodi, another header and this time the ball is off the post as United escape the second goal. What a half Atletico is having!
44' United delivered three crosses in a row, but none of them was made full use of, including a miss by Cristiano Ronaldo as Oblak gobbles the ball after the third cross
42' It is getting very physical at the Metropolitan withthe tensions rising between Luke Shaw, Bruno on one side and Llorente on the other side.
41' Kondongbia makes a run into the United box after robbing Pogba of the ball, but Varabe clears the ball just somehow
39' Foul! Pogba fouls Herrera this time as Atletico Madrid take a quick free kick with Renan Lodi making a run along the lrft flank and then switching it to the other end. The cross that arrives is headed away by Maguire
37' Pogba and Bruno plays a one two and then passes to Ronaldo who turns to his right foot and fgoes for goal from distance. The shot is, however, off target
34' Yellow Card! Cristiano Ronaldo is fouled by Hector Herrera and the referee warns the Mexican for the rather rash challenge. He also has a word with Ronaldo, but no more cards involved
32' Renan Lodi takes the free kick which reaches Ronaldo, who heads the ball out and then makes a run towards the opposite side, only to commit a foul on Reinildo
31' Another error from Varane! He loses the ball and Lodi rushes to get to the ball and cuts in right as the Frenchman brings him down for a free kick at the edge of the box
30' Varane slips while controlling the ball as Correa gets to the ball and tres to make a solo run as De Gea comes out to clear the ball and the referee then stops play for a Man United free kick
28' Shot! Renan Lodi delivers another cross from the left and finds Felix again, but this time the striker tries to hit on the volley, only to see the ball follow a vertical projectile off target
27' Oblak takes the goal kick which is headed away by Pogba and the showstopper of the match, Cristiano Ronaldo, has looked quiet so far, while the other Portuguese, Joao Felix has stolen the show
25' Foul! Kondongbia steals the ball form Fred, but the Brazilian goes to ground and the referee stops play for a foul
24' Rashford makes a run along the right and tries to cut in left. but Savic makes a last moment tackle to clear the ball for a corner, which once taken is cleared away from danger
22' The Atletico wall is changing from four to six men at the back -- the men in red-and-white look very solid at the back for the moment
20' Twenty Minutes in the match and Manchester United has not been able to cause much trouble at the Metropolitano as Simeone's side enjoys a 1-0 lead
18' Foul! Fred tries to steal the ball from Correa and fouls him in the process.
15' Rashford makes a run along the left on the otehr end, passes to Ronaldo, but the ball moves to Bruno, who launches a shot that is deflected for a corner
14' Felix makes a run, goes solo, until he is stopped by United's defence and then Herrera makes a run. It looks like Atletico Madrid is on song tonight!
Attack after attack after attack!
12' Rashford tries to make a run along the right flank, but runs into a brick wall of Atletico Madrid'd defence and Kondongbia clears it out of danger
11' Atletico Madrid fans continue to jeer and whistle as David De Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo get the ball, which is eventually continuing for every United player at the moment
7' GOOAAALLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!! Joao Felix puts ATletico Madrid in front off a fantastic delivery from Renan Lodi
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Manchester United
5' Shot! Felix makes a run along the left, tries to squeeze a shot with a right-footed curler, but the ball does not bend enough as the ball flies off target
3' Maguire concedes the first corner of the match as he heads the ball out for a corner, instead of clearing it. The corner that follows is first headed away by Maguire, but the ball falls for Felix after a return pass, which after a block is finally cleared out of danger by Bruno.
1' Manchester United get a throw in early on in the match and Rangnick's men are being pressed high at the moment
1:30 am: Kick off!
Three changes for both sides from their previous matches. Manchester United starts in blue with Atletico starting in its home kit of red-and-white.
1:25 am: Five Minutes to Kick Off!
Formations - Manchester United has decided to go with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Victor Lindelof playing as right back and Cristiano Ronaldo leading the attack in front.
Atletico Madrid will start in a 3-5-2 shape with Angel Correa and Joao Felix playing as a double pivot for the attack.
1:15 am: The players are out in the field and are warming up for what promises to be a very tight contest. Atletico Madrid's nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo is back in Spain and has been a proven striker breaching the defence of Simeone's side.
The Portuguese Wizard has 25 goals, 16 wins, two Champions League final wins and four hat-tricks in 35 games against Atletico Madrid.
1:00 am: FORM - Atletico Madrid has won three of its last five matches and comes into the game after a 0-3 win over Osasuna.
Manchester United, on the other hand, is unbeaten in eight away games and come into the match after beating Leeds United 4-2 in a tense derby at Elland Road.
12:20 am: Confirmed Line-ups are out!
Atletico Madrid Starting XI: Jan Oblak (GK), Jose Gimenez, Sime Vrsaljko, Marcos Llorente, Renan Lodi, Hector Herrera, Stefan Savic, Reinildo Mandava, Angel Correa, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Joao Felix
Manchester United Starting XI: David de Gea (GK), Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba, Fred, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho.
12:00 am: What are the coaches saying?
11:45 pm: Here is how we think the two sides will line up tonight!
Atletico Madrid Predicted XI: Jan Oblak, Marcos Llorente, Felipe Luis, Stefan Savic, Reinildo Mandava, Angel Correa, Koke, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Thomas Lemar, Joao Felix, Luis Suárez.
Predicted Formation: 4-2-2
Manchester United Predicted XI: David de Gea, Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Lule Shaw, Paul Pogba, Scott McTominay, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho.
Predicted Fornation: 4-3-3
MATCH PREVIEW
Manchester United coach Ralf Rangnick said his side is ready for an "emotional" battle in its Champions League last-16 first leg at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, heaping praise on the host's manager Diego Simeone for instilling such passion.
While Atletico has reached the knockout rounds for the eighth time in the last nine seasons, United is in the last 16 for the first time since 2018-19.
Staying in the top four in the English Premier League has been a struggle for United, but it topped its Champions League group - something Rangnick is adamant does not make the side certain to reach the latter rounds.
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"To say that a club like United should regularly be in the semi-final of the Champions League is not unique (to them)," Rangnick told a news conference on Tuesday. "I can recall a few other clubs in Europe where this could also be the case.
"They (Atletico) are always an emotional side and this reflects the character of the manager. Diego Simeone is probably one of the best emotional managers in Europe. The way his team play reflects those emotions.
"We need to match the levels of energy in both games. It will be physical, it will be emotional and we will have to be mentally strong in both games."
Cristiano Ronaldo's goals were crucial to United advancing to the last 16, with the veteran forward scoring crucial late strikes against Atalanta, home and away, and Villarreal.
United midfielder Bruno Fernandes believes the experience of Ronaldo, and that of multi-European Cup winner Raphael Varane, will be vital in Madrid, while insisting the squad remains unified, despite media reports to the contrary.
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"He (Ronaldo) has that smell for the goal," Fernandes said. "Having players that can decide games in any moment is helpful.
"We also have Rapha (Varane), who won it four times. But it is always the first time for someone. They are hungry to do something well.
"I saw the goal of H (Harry Maguire at Leeds United on Sunday) and I was slapping his head and saying 'how can you score with that big head' so I think it is just people trying to make stories about this club."
Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani has not travelled with the squad as he is still ruled out with a groin problem.
(via Reuters)
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