- The ‘Submarine’ survived Vlahovic’s Juventus in the first half and knocked them out in the final stretch of the match
- Gerard Moreno scored a penalty and ‘made’ another transformed by Danjuma after Pau Torres put the tie on track
Juventus were knocked out of the Champions League for the third successive season in the round of 16 on Wednesday, following a crushing 3-0 second leg loss to Villarreal.
Three weeks ago the sides drew 1-1 in the first leg in Spain and Juve looked most likely to progress to the quarter-finals for much of the game at the Allianz Stadium.
However, Unai Emery’s men delivered a sensational 12-minute finish that sealed a memorable victory thanks to Gerard Moreno and Arnaut Danjuma’s shots either side of Pau Torres’ close shot.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men looked sad at the end as their 12-game unbeaten streak came to a spectacular end.
Midway through the first half, the hosts were close to taking the lead when Dusan Vlahovic’s first try smashed the bar after a low cross from Mattia De Sciglio.
Giovani Lo Celso narrowly scored for the other half and Villarreal flexed their muscles late but neither found a way out before the break.
Adrien Rabiot hit Geronimo Rulli in the palms with an ambitious strike just before half-time, while Juan Cuadrado slipped wide as Juve looked increasingly threatening.
It didn’t matter in the 78th minute when Moreno scored from the penalty spot after Daniele Rugani knocked down Francis Coquelin in the box, a point awarded by referee Szymon Marciniak after being encouraged by VAR to look on the monitor to watch the ground. .
They doubled their lead seven minutes later when Torres fired a corner from the far post into Wojciech Szczesny’s net.
Juve’s dismal game ended in injury time when Danjuma fired from the penalty spot after Matthijs de Ligt had scored.
What does it mean? __ Juve overthrown by relentless visitors
How Juventus managed to capitulate so dramatically in the final will remain a mystery for some time to come.
Surprisingly, Villarreal only managed three shots on target in the whole game and scored with all three.
The shock defeat ended Juve’s six-game winning streak at home in the Champions League and saw Emery’s men reach the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since the 2008/09 season.
Moreno on the spot
Despite being isolated for most of the game, Moreno showed no signs of rust when he had the chance to open the scoring for Villarreal. The Spain international has scored or assisted in all four Champions League games this season, netting two goals and providing three assists.
Morata struggles
Moreno’s compatriot Álvaro Morata was not so lucky in Juve’s attack. He had four shots, the most of any player on the field, before being replaced late at Moise Kean.
Important facts about Opta
- Villarreal manager Emery survived a Champions League Round of 16 draw for the first time, having been knocked out in the Round of 16 in his previous three attempts (with Valencia 2010/11 and PSG 2016-17 and 2017-18).
- Juventus manager Allegri has lost each of his last two home games in the Champions League Round of 16 (previously 2-1 to Ajax in 2018-19) after losing just one of his First 10 games to take the lead. association (G7 E2).
- Villarreal equaled their biggest Champions League lead to win for the third time by three goals – it was the first time in the round of 16 in the competition.
- Danjuma has scored five goals for Villarreal in the Champions League this season; more than one player for the club in a single season in the league.
Moreno has scored or assisted in all four Champions League games for Villarreal this season, scoring two goals and providing three assists in total.
that follow?
Both sides will return to domestic matches on Sunday, with Juve hosting Salernitana and Villarreal away to Cádiz.
