A Visibly Emotional David De Gea Was A Broken Man In Emotional Post-Match Interview After Atletico Loss

In an emotional post-match interview, Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea gave his honest thoughts on the club's disappointing Champions League exit to Atletico Madrid – and he didn't hold back.

Ralf Rangnick's side failed to make their dominance pay in the round of 16 clash. Despite controlling possession for large spells, especially in the second period, a lack of quality in the final third was abundantly clear.

Like they have done on so many occasions this season, United struggled to break down their opposition on Tuesday night, as Atletico capitalised with a first-half goal from full-back Renan Lodi.

After the final whistle, a dejected David De Gea, who didn't have much to do all night, admitted United's performance was just "not good enough" as he reflected on five years without a trophy.

"Of course it's not good enough," he told BT Sport. "It's hard for the club, for us and the fans. It's really hard. This is where we are at the moment. It's a difficult situation. We have to keep fighting. I feel very sad. But we were not good enough.

"We are really disappointed with the result. It's difficult to put into words how we feel now at the moment. We did not enough in both games to win it. It's a very disappointing day for us. They are a team with a lot of experience. They know how to play those Champions League games."

He added: "They scored a goal then are a tough team so it was hard for us to create chances. We are out of one of the most important competitions so we are very sad. As soon as they scored the goal they put the whole team in front of Jan Oblak.

"They are a very defensive team and it's difficult to score against them. We tried until the end but it was not enough."

De Gea was then asked about a foul not being given on Anthony Elanga, moments before Atletico scored the eventual winner.

"I do not want to speak about the referee," he added. "Everyone watching can see and we cannot change it. It was not enough." 

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick was far from happy with the performance of referee Slavko Vincic throughout the Champions League round of 16 clash – brandishing some of his decisions as "curious".

"It was hard in the second half and always interrupted," the German said. "There was always somebody lying on the floor. I would also say some curious refereeing decisions.

"I wouldn't say they were decisive but at least he fell too often for those time-wasting antics and four minutes at the end added on was a joke for me."

Rangnick then gave his thoughts on Renan Lodi's winner. "That was a foul for sure on Anthony Elanga but the referee and the linesman didn't see it that way. For me that was the only real moment, and the offside goal, that they scored with.

"Apart from that, we defended well and we were compact in their transition moments. There is nothing I can blame the team for in the first half."

Thoughts on De Gea's post-match interview?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: BT Sport

Topics: David De Gea, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Champions League

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

@jackkenmare_