Manchester United v Real Madrid: Should Nani have been sent off? Manchester United went out of the Champions League at Old Trafford on Tuesday thanks to a 3-2 aggregate defeat by Real Madrid, in a tie that turned on the red card shown to the home side's Portuguese winger Nani. The incident Manchester United led 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate when Nani raised his foot high and connected with Alvaro Arbeloa's ribs in the 56th minute. Nani did not appear to see the Spaniard and had his eye on the ball throughout the incident, but he was sent off - prompting a furious Sir Alex Ferguson to head towards the touchline to remonstrate with the officials. Real took control against the 10 men with two goals in quick succession from Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo, and despite a late rally by the Premier League leaders, those strikes were enough to settle the tie. The law Fifa law 12, fouls and misconduct, states: "A player is guilty of serious foul play if he uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent when challenging for the ball when it is in play." It clarifies: "Excessive force means that the player has far exceeded the necessary use of force and is in danger of injuring his opponent." The referee Turkey's Cuneyt Cakir was taking charge of his third Manchester United match, having officiated in a defeat for Ferguson's side by Athletic Bilbao in last season's Europa League and a Champions League draw with Benfica earlier in the same European campaign. Terry was shown a red card by Cakir in Barcelona Cakir sent off Chelsea captain John Terry against Barcelona in last year's semi-final second leg at Camp Nou, and Mario Balotelli in Manchester City's 1-0 win over Dinamo Kiev in 2011. The 36-year-old from Istanbul joined Uefa's elite category in 2011 and officiated at Euro 2012, taking charge of the semi-final between Portugal and Spain, having sent off Keith Andrews during Republic of Ireland's group match against Italy. The reaction Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane on ITV: "I think the referee has actually made the right call. Everyone's upset about it and it's slightly unlucky, but it's dangerous play. Whether he meant it or not is irrelevant. It's dangerous play - it's a red card. You have to be aware of other players on the pitch. Does he think he's going to have 20 yards to himself? Whether it's [a brave decision] or not, it's the right decision. Whether he meant it or not doesn't matter. Nani's a quick boy to go down anyway. He's not the bravest player on the planet. Retired referee Dermot Gallagher on BBC Radio 5 live: "[The decision was] harsh to say the least, but in fairness the Real player did Nani no favours whatsoever. At worst Nani catches the underside of his arm, certainly not the ribs as the guy has gone down and shown. I can't reiterate enough that he [Nani] is watching the ball over his shoulder, there was no malice in him. At worst it was a yellow for dangerous play, but if I was refereeing that game I cannot see by what stretch of the imagination I would have sent him off for that. Cakir sends off Ireland's Andrews at Euro 2012 Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan: "The manager is not in a state to talk to the referee about the decision. I think it speaks volumes I am here speaking now and not the manager of this fantastic football club. The decision seemed very harsh, possibly incredible at that moment in the game. Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho: "I can say for certain Arbeloa did not feign contact. It was quite strong and he was shown a red. It could have been a yellow. Playing with a man down for such a long period of time is going to change a lot. When we were against 10, we played very well for 10 minutes. We gave them a new problem they couldn't solve. Everton manager David Moyes on BBC Radio 5 live: "I think tonight Sir Alex Ferguson will be rightly as angry as he has ever been. The decision changed the game. I am looking from a manager's point of view and Manchester United have had a hard time tonight. I think they have a right to surround the referee. The decision was poor and it has cost them the biggest prize in football. Former Liverpool and Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamann on Sky Sports: "He wants to bring it down, I think no Real Madrid player expected it, nobody was claiming a red card. He didn't see him he didn't mean to do it, it's not even a booking. Telegraph correspondent Henry Winter on Radio 5 live: "I actually thought the initial perpetrator was Arbeloa, who looked like he thought he had a free hit at Nani and was going to take it."