Chris Smalling left Lionel Messi in need of medical treatment during Man Utd's defeat by Barcelona on Wednesday.
Manchester United&apos;s Chris Smalling insists the challenge that left Barcelona forward Lionel Messi with a bloodied nose on Wednesday night was purely accidental.
Messi required medical treatment after a first-half collision with Smalling left the Argentine sprawled out on the Old Trafford turf.
Replays of the incident appeared to show no malice from Smalling as he beat Messi in an aerial duel just outside the centre circle and the United defender has now addressed the coming-together in an interview with the BBC.
"We spoke afterwards. We had a brief chat and shook hands," Smalling, 29, told BBC Radio 5 Live&apos;s Football Daily podcast. "He knew it was an accident."
"I didn&apos;t realise at the time that I&apos;d actually caught him like that."
He added: "[Luis] Suarez [came up to me] after the game as well. We had a good tussle and he just shook my hands afterwards and said &apos;good luck&apos;.
"It&apos;s nice when you can have that battle on the pitch and then there&apos;s respect after the game because, ultimately, you are just trying to do your best."
After Barcelona&apos;s 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, United must now win at the Nou Camp next week to keep their Champions League dream alive.
The Reds have already pulled off a European miracle in the competition&apos;s previous round against Paris Saint-Germain and Smalling is full of belief that United can repeat their France heroics in Spain.
"We know it can be done," Smalling said.
"If we can carry on from the second-half performance when we were really on the front foot, brought intensity to the game and caused them a few problems, that&apos;s what we need to go there and do.
"We knew that we couldn&apos;t go completely gung-ho in that second half because there is another leg.
"We&apos;ve got to make sure we go there with no regrets and leave everything there to give ourselves the best possible chance."