Joe Hart blames players for Manchester City's loss to Real Madrid [...slammed by Roberto Mancini]

Roberto Mancini angrily slapped down Joe Hart last night after Cristiano Ronaldo broke City’s hearts at the Bernabeu.

The Manchester City keeper was furious after his side threw away a 2-1 lead with just three minutes left.

Hart moaned: “It’s not on. You can’t go 2-1 up with five minutes to go and lose the game. Who else can we blame? We can only blame ourselves.”

But Mancini snapped: “Joe Hart should stay in goal and make saves. If anyone should criticise the team it should be me, not Joe Hart. I am the judge, not Joe Hart.”



Mancini admitted the pressure is now on in Group D but insisted City would not falter again in the group stages this season.

He added: “I think other teams will lose here but now we have five games to qualify.

“So it’s important we beat Dortmund in our next game at home.

“We know it will be difficult as they are a top team but we want to go through and we should go through.”

City led twice through Edin Dzeko and Alek-sandar Kolarov but Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Ronaldo gave Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid a stunning victory.

A distraught Hart said: “They are a very good team but so are we. You can’t go 2-1 up and lose.

"It’s a great stadium and they have an amazing manager and players. But we dug deep and went ahead twice.

“Then we lost it so it’s hard to come off the field and be positive after conceding three.”

Mourinho, who slid along on his knees after Ronaldo’s winner, said: “It doesn’t matter about my celebration, what mattered was the match and the way people who love football around the world enjoyed it.”

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