Eventually, the miracles run out. Manchester United had gotten through the group stage of the Champions League, almost entirely fueled by late Cristiano Ronaldo goals, but they could only ever carry this side so far. United went out of the Champions League having been undone, as so many have been, by the greater smartness and drive of Atlético Madrid. Renan Lodi’s 41st-minute goal was the difference in a 1–0 win at Old Trafford, which carried the Spanish side through to the quarterfinals on a 2–1 aggregate victory. It joins Benfica—a 1–0 winner at Ajax Tuesday—Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid among the final eight teams in the competition.
For the first 20 minutes Tuesday and isolated spells late on, United had the look of joining them instead. The hosts applied pressure, and Jan Oblak made vital saves on chances from Anthony Elanga (with his head) and Raphaël Varane (in more orthodox fashion) but this was a familiar picture. United was good in some parts, bad in others and prone to making self-defeating errors.
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