Champions League: Etihad stunned as Juventus score two late goals
Last year’s runners-up come from behind in 2-1 win over Manchester City
Last year’s runners-up come from behind in 2-1 win over Manchester City. PHOTO: AFP
MANCHESTER:
Italian champions Juventus cast their early-season woes aside by beating in-form Manchester City 2-1 in their opening Champions League Group D fixture at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
Juve, last season’s beaten finalists, have lost two and drawn one of their first three Serie A games and went behind in the 57th minute when Vincent Kompany pressured Giorgio Chiellini into scoring an own goal.
The Juventus centre-back protested with justification that he had been fouled, but his side drew level 13 minutes later through Mario Mandzukic before Alvaro Morata curled home a fine 81st-minute winner.
“Well done to the boys, because I think they played a really good game against an excellent team that has outstanding players,” said Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri. “It’s a pretty delicate moment for us. It’s not easy to win here and I think the players played extremely well.”
After five straight wins in the Premier League, it was a first setback of the season for Manuel Pellegrini’s City, whose home form has bedevilled them in their unsuccessful attempts to progress beyond this tournament’s last 16 in the last four seasons.
They have won only three of their last 12 home games in the competition and find themselves on the back foot already ahead of their next match away to Borussia Moenchengladbach on September 30.
“It’s disappointing. I don’t think we deserved to lose,” said Pellegrini. “We had better chances and played better than Juventus. It was a typical Champions League game. Both teams didn’t create many chances, but we had more possession. It was not a tactical problem. Juventus just scored two beautiful goals.”
Eindhoven nightmare for United and Shaw
Manchester United saw their Champions League return turn into a nightmare as they not only fell 2-1 against PSV Eindhoven but also lost full-back Luke Shaw with a double leg fracture in their Group B opener.
Despite an opening goal by winger Memphis Depay against his former club, United failed to capitalise on their chances and goals from Hector Moreno and Luciano Narsingh gave the hosts the three points.
However, worse than the defeat was the injury to Shaw, which came just 15 minutes into the match following a crunching Moreno tackle, leaving the England international with a double fracture that requires an operation when he returns to Manchester and could put his participation at Euro 2016 next summer in jeopardy.
Shaw was wheeled off the field breathing through an oxygen mask to loud applause from PSV’s fans. “It’s horrible. When he was going in the dressing room, he was with the oxygen mask, he was crying,” said United manager Louis van Gaal, who refused to put a date on the left-back’s return. “I am not a doctor, so I can’t say [how long he will be out for]. A double fracture, it generally takes six months, but you can never say in advance.”
Around half an hour after being wheeled off, though, Shaw took to Twitter to vow that he would make a full recovery. “Thank you everyone for your messages, words can’t describe how gutted I am, my road to recovery starts now, I will come back stronger,” he tweeted.
Mexican international Moreno, who broke his own leg in last year’s World Cup against the Netherlands, apologised profusely afterwards. “I just feel really bad because I was involved in the accident,” he told journalists. “I’m really sorry. I think I played the ball. I just hope he’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Ronaldo goes to 80
Cristiano Ronaldo moved in front of Lionel Messi as the top goalscorer in Champions League history with a hat-trick as Real Madrid opened their European campaign with a 4-0 win over 10-man Shakhtar Donetsk.
Ronaldo scored twice from the penalty spot — one of which was given as a handball despite the ball clearly hitting the Shakhtar player on the back — before heading home to complete his second hat-trick in four days and take his tally in the competition to 80, three ahead of his Barcelona rival.
“I am very happy. I thank my teammates for the confidence they have given me,” said Ronaldo. “We knew that the pre-season was less important, that we needed to start well in La Liga and the Champions League. We started a little badly in La Liga with a draw, but since then we have been good, more consistent and we’re on a good run.”
However, the victory was soured by an injury to Gareth Bale as the Welshman limped off suffering from a calf muscle problem after just half an hour. “Bale had a spasm in his calf muscle,” said Madrid boss Rafael Benitez. “We must wait a day or two to see how serious it is. He had a similar issue last year.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2015.
Italian champions Juventus cast their early-season woes aside by beating in-form Manchester City 2-1 in their opening Champions League Group D fixture at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
Juve, last season’s beaten finalists, have lost two and drawn one of their first three Serie A games and went behind in the 57th minute when Vincent Kompany pressured Giorgio Chiellini into scoring an own goal.
The Juventus centre-back protested with justification that he had been fouled, but his side drew level 13 minutes later through Mario Mandzukic before Alvaro Morata curled home a fine 81st-minute winner.
“Well done to the boys, because I think they played a really good game against an excellent team that has outstanding players,” said Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri. “It’s a pretty delicate moment for us. It’s not easy to win here and I think the players played extremely well.”
After five straight wins in the Premier League, it was a first setback of the season for Manuel Pellegrini’s City, whose home form has bedevilled them in their unsuccessful attempts to progress beyond this tournament’s last 16 in the last four seasons.
They have won only three of their last 12 home games in the competition and find themselves on the back foot already ahead of their next match away to Borussia Moenchengladbach on September 30.
“It’s disappointing. I don’t think we deserved to lose,” said Pellegrini. “We had better chances and played better than Juventus. It was a typical Champions League game. Both teams didn’t create many chances, but we had more possession. It was not a tactical problem. Juventus just scored two beautiful goals.”
Eindhoven nightmare for United and Shaw
Manchester United saw their Champions League return turn into a nightmare as they not only fell 2-1 against PSV Eindhoven but also lost full-back Luke Shaw with a double leg fracture in their Group B opener.
Despite an opening goal by winger Memphis Depay against his former club, United failed to capitalise on their chances and goals from Hector Moreno and Luciano Narsingh gave the hosts the three points.
However, worse than the defeat was the injury to Shaw, which came just 15 minutes into the match following a crunching Moreno tackle, leaving the England international with a double fracture that requires an operation when he returns to Manchester and could put his participation at Euro 2016 next summer in jeopardy.
Shaw was wheeled off the field breathing through an oxygen mask to loud applause from PSV’s fans. “It’s horrible. When he was going in the dressing room, he was with the oxygen mask, he was crying,” said United manager Louis van Gaal, who refused to put a date on the left-back’s return. “I am not a doctor, so I can’t say [how long he will be out for]. A double fracture, it generally takes six months, but you can never say in advance.”
Around half an hour after being wheeled off, though, Shaw took to Twitter to vow that he would make a full recovery. “Thank you everyone for your messages, words can’t describe how gutted I am, my road to recovery starts now, I will come back stronger,” he tweeted.
Mexican international Moreno, who broke his own leg in last year’s World Cup against the Netherlands, apologised profusely afterwards. “I just feel really bad because I was involved in the accident,” he told journalists. “I’m really sorry. I think I played the ball. I just hope he’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Ronaldo goes to 80
Cristiano Ronaldo moved in front of Lionel Messi as the top goalscorer in Champions League history with a hat-trick as Real Madrid opened their European campaign with a 4-0 win over 10-man Shakhtar Donetsk.
Ronaldo scored twice from the penalty spot — one of which was given as a handball despite the ball clearly hitting the Shakhtar player on the back — before heading home to complete his second hat-trick in four days and take his tally in the competition to 80, three ahead of his Barcelona rival.
“I am very happy. I thank my teammates for the confidence they have given me,” said Ronaldo. “We knew that the pre-season was less important, that we needed to start well in La Liga and the Champions League. We started a little badly in La Liga with a draw, but since then we have been good, more consistent and we’re on a good run.”
However, the victory was soured by an injury to Gareth Bale as the Welshman limped off suffering from a calf muscle problem after just half an hour. “Bale had a spasm in his calf muscle,” said Madrid boss Rafael Benitez. “We must wait a day or two to see how serious it is. He had a similar issue last year.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2015.