Inter went to the Madrigal Stadium with a 2-1 advantage from the first-leg, but failed to hold score against Villarreal who snatched a 1-0 win to advance on the away goal rule.

" We thought we’d be able to score at least one here and qualify, but we gave our all and couldn’t break through,” Mancini was quoted as saying by Football Italia magazine after Tuesday's match.

A team like ours had to try harder; there's no doubt that, and I take responsibility for this.

"I think the qualification was within our grasp and it was a good chance to reach the semi-final as Villarreal are certainly not superior to us. There is regret, of course," he added.

The 42-year-old coach slammed his players for conceding a goal against the Yellow Submarines.

"It was stupid," said Mancini. "It changed the entire match and meant that from a position of control, we had to come out and attack."