Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has revealed that he had a sleepless night following his side's defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
The Red Devils were dumped out of the elite European competition courtesy of a 2-1 victory for Madrid, who clinched a 3-2 win on aggregate following the first round-of-16 tie at the Bernabeu.
Despite Madrid's victory, the match was marred by a controversial refereeing decision, which resulted in the sending-off of Nani in the second half due to a high challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa.
Following the dismissal, United conceded goals by Luka Modric and ex-United star Cristiano Ronaldo, who put the Spanish giants into the quarter-finals.
After the final whistle, a number of United players surrounded referee Cuneyt Cakir and Ferdinand could be seen clapping sarcastically in the match official's face before deciding to shake his hand.
Ferdinand wrote on Twitter: "Morning....was a long night without any sleep... I must say last night our fans done us + our club proud. Best/loudest support I've heard at ANY ground throughout my career. Thank you."
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson refused to speak to the media following the defeat, as did his players.
Danielle Joynson
