Manchester United 1-2 Real Madrid
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Managers reactions:
Mourinho: “Modric was crucial because he changed he match”
“We are happy to go through, but I expected more from my team. The first half was a nil-nil between two teams that knew they were on the limit. The sending-off changed the match a bit, because it changed the flow. But then Manchester United, with ten, were better and created us problems. We were able to score two goals and hold on until the end”.
“I know this stadium, the mentality and the culture and I knew that we would suffer until the end”Knowing Ferguson’s style of leadership I knew that they were going to attempt the comeback late in the match. We wanted to control the match, but they won the midfield. Diego Lopez, like De Gea in the first leg for them, was our best player and got us the win”, said the Whites’ coach.
Assistant Phelan (Sir Alex did not comment)
“[To say we’re disappointed] is an understatement,” Phelan told reporters, standing in for Sir Alex at his post-match press conference. “We felt we had the tactics right for such a big game. We felt as though we were comfortable at times at 0-0. We were where we wanted to be.
“We came out [after half-time] and scored the goal and that put us in a very commanding position. After that we were in reasonable control and created a few chances. Then the game totally changed: Nani off in the 56th minute.
“From our point of view, we felt the ball was in the air, the player was watching the ball,” Phelan added. “Yes, there was contact, but that’s the nature of football and to get a red card seems unbelievable”. The decision… was amazing. But we had to carry on. In a game of this magnitude, with the whole world watching, we feel very disappointed.”
