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."



Saudi Taekwondo Team Achieves Historic Continental Milestone with Seven Bronze Medals

Saudi taekwondo team achieves historic continental milestone with seven bronze medals.
Saudi taekwondo team achieves historic continental milestone with seven bronze medals.
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Saudi Taekwondo Team Achieves Historic Continental Milestone with Seven Bronze Medals

Saudi taekwondo team achieves historic continental milestone with seven bronze medals.
Saudi taekwondo team achieves historic continental milestone with seven bronze medals.

The Saudi national taekwondo team concluded its participation in the Asian Taekwondo Championships, held in Kuching, Malaysia, by securing the greatest continental achievement in its history—winning seven bronze medals across various categories.

The most recent medal came through player Eyad Al-Turayk in the Para Kyorugi category under the supervision of coach Jerry. In the Para Poomsae division, players Ibrahim Al-Hujailan and Hussein Al-Hujailan also delivered standout performances under the guidance of coach Hani Al-Turaik, the Saudi Press Agency said on Saturday.

In the Kyorugi combat category, during the 6th Junior and 13th Youth Asian Championships, four players earned bronze medals: Ali Al-Bouhmoud, Ameera Al-Bisher, Layan Kaabi, and Khalid Al-Shahrani.The competitions featured more than 650 male and female athletes from across Asia.

Saudi Taekwondo Federation President Ahmed Al-Sabban stated that this achievement is the result of collective effort and institutional coordination, supported by the Kingdom’s sports leadership. He noted the diversity of medals across divisions reflects the sport’s growing development both technically and administratively.