Harry Maguire appeared to accidentally smash into Cristiano Ronaldo’s teeth with his head while backing up during Manchester United’s defeat to Atletico Madrid.
The Red Devils secured a 1-1 draw at the Wanda Metropolitano in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 last month.
However, a lacklustre performance in the return leg at Old Trafford on Tuesday night saw United crash out of the Champions League in a 1-0 defeat.
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Renan Lodi’s first-half opener for Atletico caused a major setback for United, with Ralf Rangnick’s men unable to build momentum and mount a successful comeback.
Maguire, who was withdrawn late in the second half for Juan Mata, has been met with fierce criticism over his role as United captain and performances this season.
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However, the 29-year-old United captain left fans speechless after footage emerged of him accidentally clattering straight into Ronaldo’s teeth.
Maguire attempted to lose Atletico defender Stefan Savic during a second-half corner and inadvertently collided with Ronaldo, who was standing behind him in the box.
Ronaldo, 37, could be spotted moving his hand towards his mouth after being struck by Maguire’s head, while his United teammate moved his hands towards the back of his head.
Fans were baffled by the clumsy incident and took to social media to share their reactions, with one Twitter user calling it the “most slapstick thing I’ve seen in football in years.”
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Speaking after the 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford, United interim manager Rangnick hit out at referee Slavko Vinic for the “curious refereeing decisions” made in the match.
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“I think we played a very good first half -- exactly the way we wanted to play with a high energy level but we couldn’t convert that into one or two goals,” he told BT Sport.
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“It was hard in the second half and always interrupted. 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.
“We know they are good at defending leads. We had one or two moments in the second half and there was a brilliant save from the goalkeeper. We were fully aware that against this team you need to score the first goal yourself.”
Topics: Harry Maguire, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Champions League, Football, Premier League, England, La Liga, Spain
Adnan Riaz