Man Utd Trophy Drought Has Gone on Too Long, Says Dejected de Gea

David de Gea. (AP)
David de Gea. (AP)
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Man Utd Trophy Drought Has Gone on Too Long, Says Dejected de Gea

David de Gea. (AP)
David de Gea. (AP)

Manchester United have gone too many years without trophies and need a more determined collective effort to end their drought, goalkeeper David de Gea said after they crashed out of the Champions League following a defeat by Atletico Madrid.

A first-half header from Renan Lodi gave Atletico a 1-0 win on Tuesday for a 2-1 aggregate last-16 victory that extinguished United's hopes of a title this season and extended their trophy drought to five years.

"Of course it's not good enough," De Gea, who was part of the United squad that won the Europa League crown in 2017, said. "There are too many years without any trophies, even without fighting for trophies.

"We need to be clear we want to achieve good things and fight for trophies. We don't just want to play for the top four and get out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals.

"So we need much more from everyone because this club is too big for where we are now. We are far from the fighting places for the Premier League, for the Champions League, so we need much more from everyone."

United are fifth in the Premier League with 50 points from 29 games and face a daunting task to make the top four and earn a place in next year's Champions League.

"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," De Gea said of the Atletico result.

"We are really disappointed with the result. It's difficult to put into words how we feel at the moment. We did not enough in both games to win it. It's a disappointing day for us."



Ivankovic Takes Responsibility after China’s World Cup Dream Ends

China's Croatian head coach Branko Ivankovic listens to the national anthem before start of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifier football match between Indonesia and China at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on June 5, 2025. (AFP)
China's Croatian head coach Branko Ivankovic listens to the national anthem before start of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifier football match between Indonesia and China at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on June 5, 2025. (AFP)
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Ivankovic Takes Responsibility after China’s World Cup Dream Ends

China's Croatian head coach Branko Ivankovic listens to the national anthem before start of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifier football match between Indonesia and China at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on June 5, 2025. (AFP)
China's Croatian head coach Branko Ivankovic listens to the national anthem before start of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifier football match between Indonesia and China at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on June 5, 2025. (AFP)

China coach Branko Ivankovic took responsibility for his team's exit from the World Cup qualifiers after they fell to a 1-0 defeat by Indonesia in Jakarta on Thursday.

China had faint hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup despite three consecutive losses against Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia, which left them bottom of Asian qualifying Group C.

The expansion of the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 edition had ignited Chinese hopes of a return to the finals for the first time since their sole appearance in 2002.

"This team has been fighting for this goal for over 20 years," Ivankovic told reporters.

"We believed that if we could reach the next stage from this tough group, we would have a strong chance of qualifying. But we didn't succeed, and as head coach, I definitely bear significant responsibility."

The 71-year-old Croatian was appointed by China in February last year to replace Aleksandar Jankovic after the Serbian failed to take the East Asian country beyond the group phase of the 2024 Asian Cup.

"We've brought in a younger generation of players who have injected energy into the team. Based on their performances, I believe this team has a promising future," Ivankovic said.

"We knew this match would be tough — not just because of the opponent, but also the weather. I want to thank my players for fighting until the very last second."

China next host Bahrain, who are in fifth place in Group C, for their final third-round qualifier on June 10.