MANCHESTER, England, March 6, (Agencies): Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho was sympathetic to Manchester United’s anger over the red card for Nani that was the turning point in Tuesday’s Champions League clash and said his rivals should have won.
It is a rare admission by a manager, especially in such a high-profile match, that he sympathises with the losing side but Mourinho felt the 56th minute dismissal of the winger was as unfortunate as that of his player Pepe in the 2011 semi-final.
“In my opinion, the best team lost,” the Portuguese coach, whose side went through to the quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate after a 2-1 win on the night, told a news conference.
“I think it had the same influence as the decision two years ago to send Pepe off in the semi-final (defeat by Barcelona),” he added.

“When you are talking about football at this level, with such a fine balance between two equally matched teams, playing with one man down for such a long period is going to change a lot in the game.”
In this encounter between two of Europe’s biggest clubs, it changed everything.
United were leading 1-0 on the night, and 2-1 on aggregate, after a Sergio Ramos own goal but within 13 minutes of Nani’s red card for an inadvertent high boot on Alvaro Arbeloa, they had conceded two goals to Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mourinho felt it was right for Ferguson, who angrily remonstrated on the touchline and who was too upset to speak to reporters afterwards, to criticise the decision.
“I think I would always criticise,” he said. “I think it’s when you are talking about simulating... I can say for certain in this case Arbeloa was not feigning injury.
“It was quite strong contact from Nani on him and he was shown a red. On another occasion he could have seen a yellow for the same offence.”

Distraught manager
Mourinho said he had spoken to United manager Alex Ferguson who had no complaints about Real’s role in the incident.
It remains to be seen what the United manager, who has previously been in hot water for comments he has made about officials, will say about Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir’s decision to send his player off.
Ferguson opted not to face the media in the aftermath, sending assistant Mike Phelan to answer questions instead.

“Everybody was sitting in the dressing room wondering what had happened and why it had happened, a very distraught dressing room and a very distraught manager,” he told a news conference.
“That’s why I’m sat here.”
He said that it was an understatement to say that Ferguson was not impressed with the red card.
“I don’t think the manager is in any fit state to talk to the referee about the decision,” he said. “I think it speaks volumes that I am sat here speaking to you and not the manager of this fantastic football club.
“We felt as though we had the tactics right for the game, for such a big occasion. We felt we were comfortable at times, at 0-0 it was where we wanted to be,” he said.
“We came out and scored the goal which put us in a commanding position. After that we were in reasonable control, we created a couple of chances but then the game promptly changed.
“We all witnessed a decision that was harsh and incredible at that point in the game.”

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has celebrated dozens of goals at Old Trafford but Tuesday’s winner for Real Madrid against Manchester United was the first time he held up his hands in apology after scoring.
The Portuguese, who spent six years at United from 2003, completed a 2-1 comeback win for Real who went through to the Champions League quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.
He received a rousing welcome back before the match, but broke the home fans’ hearts when he slid in at the far post after 69 minutes to sweep the ball into the net.
“It was an emotional moment for me. I just have one word to say - unbelievable. What the supporters do to me is they make me feel shy,” Ronaldo, who also scored Real’s equaliser in the first leg in Madrid, told Sky Sports.

As a mark of respect to the United fans who once adored him, he pointedly refused to celebrate his winner, shrugging his shoulders and lifting his arms as if to say sorry.
Before the match United manager Alex Ferguson remembered what the great Brazilian striker Ronaldo did for Real against his team a decade ago, when he scored a hat-trick at Old Trafford to help the Spaniards into the semi finals.
“Our main worry,” said Ferguson on Monday, “was not what happened 10 years ago but what is going to happen tomorrow.”
He was right to be worried.
Tuesday’s win completed a remarkable week for Real who beat arch-rivals Barcelona in La Liga and the King’s Cup before toppling United.
“It was an unbelievable week. We won both games against Barcelona and Manchester United. We’re in good shape and want to carry on like that.”

Five years ago Ronaldo won the Champions League with United, scoring in the 1-1 draw in the final against Chelsea in Moscow but missing a penalty in the shootout.
After seeing off United, a second winner’s medal has come a big step closer.
Madrid’s sporting press on Wednesday hailed a dream win for Real as they took a step closer to a 10th European club crown but rival papers said their victory at Manchester United was a gift from the referee.
“Madrid close a dream week at Old Trafford en route to their 10th,” Marca said, after Tuesday night’s Champions League win topped two recent victories over their rivals Barcelona in the Spanish league and cup. “Great week,” yelled the other main pro-Real daily, AS, on its front page.
Both papers acknowledged United’s furious response to the sending off of its Portuguese winger Nani for a boot in the chest of Alvaro Arbeloa.

Marca described the red card as “harsh”. Pundit Juanma Trueba in AS nevertheless judged Real “better... although the referee helped and lightened the burden” of Madrid.
Pro-Barcelona dailies Sport and Mundo Deportivo played down Real’s joy, relegating their reports of the match to deep in their inner pages.
“Refereeing victory,” sneered Mundo Deportivo in its headline.
“Madrid were bad and ended up playing for time despite being one goal up.”
“Gift to Madrid,” said Sport in a small item on its front page, above a photograph of Nani getting his red card.
Marca lauded Cristiano Ronaldo’s respectful lack of celebration after scoring the decisive goal against his former club.
“Heart of a champion,” it headlined above a picture of the striker it dubbed “Sir Cristiano”.
“There had been room for the possibility of Madrid writing off the season,” Marca said. “But nothing could be further from the truth.”