Roberto Mancini declared Manchester City’s Champions League campaign over after seeing his side held 2-2 by Ajax on a contentious evening at the Etihad Stadium.
Tuesday’s result left the English champions five points below second-place Real Madrid in Group D with only two points from four games, and although wins in their last two matches could take them through, Mancini feels it is too late.
“I don’t think we have a chance,” said the City coach, who went on to the pitch to confront referee Peter Rasmussen at the final whistle.
“Eight points if we win both games. If we do that and go through, we can win the Champions League! It would be our destiny.
“But I believe in my team always, even maybe sometimes when there are mistakes.”
City had two penalty appeals turned down, one for an early challenge on Yaya Toure and the other in injury time after Mario Balotelli appeared to be manhandled in the visitors’ box.
They were also controversially denied an 88th-minute equaliser when Aleksandar Kolarov was ruled to have strayed offside before crossing for Sergio Aguero to tap home.
Mancini confessed that he had not seen the incident involving Balotelli, but he admitted haranguing the match official about the decision not to let Aguero’s goal stand.
“I said it was a goal,” he said in his post-match press conference.
“I didn’t see the last bit with Mario that was a penalty.
The referee and his staff were really poor.”
Mancini also dismissed reports he had threatened a television cameraman in the immediate aftermath of the match.
“The cameraman wanted to film me and follow me from the pitch. I said it’s finished. It’s not a film about me – it’s a game,” said the Italian.
Mancini’s opposite number, Frank de Boer, said he thought the officials had been correct to rule out Aguero’s goal.
“I thought immediately that Kolarov was offside,” he said.
“I looked at the referee and the assistant referee, and they were very confident and had no doubts about it. For the other one (Balotelli’s penalty appeal), I couldn’t see from the bench.
“But sometimes you have good luck with referees, and sometimes you have bad luck.”