Champions League – Juventus vs Villarreal: The Old Lady of Italy was on the verge of making it to the final eight. The club had the lead on aggregate until the 77th minute of the 2nd leg last night.
Nevertheless, the club conceded thrice in the remainder of the game. Pulling off one of the biggest bottle jobs in UCL history, even by their recent standards.
As for the Spanish club, following their Europa League triumph last season, it is another historic night for the club.
It was Gerard Moreno, who put the Yellow Submarine ahead on the night. He converted from 12 yards in the 78th minute after they were awarded a penalty. Minutes later Pau Torres scored from a corner to double their lead. Arnaut Danjuma put the final nail in Juve’s coffin as he converted a penalty in the 92nd minute.
Champions League – Juventus vs Villarreal: Managers’ react
Juventus’ Massimiliano Allegri: “If you have intellectual dishonesty, you read it in a way, but the reality is different. Do you understand?
“I knew that people would talk about a failure in case of elimination, but that’s intellectual dishonesty. I know the value of team. We’ve been using the same players for two months, we are in the race for the top four and the Coppa Italia. I have nothing to reproach the guys. They are doing extraordinary things.
“The season is ongoing, we have targets to reach. We are disappointed and we’ll make our assessments to improve the team. We do that every year. We also need to be realists. There are ten teams in Europe superior to Juventus. It’s no shame, it’s a fact.
“I agree that we had to qualify today, but it was not easy. It’s useless to talk now, we must remain quiet, focus on the league and the Coppa Italia to see if we can take a trophy at home.”
Villarreal’s Unai Emery: “We defended deep, but then stepped up and gained more space, able to pierce a Juventus defence that allows very little. We had patience and did many things right.
“I am in love with the Europa League, but now I want to enjoy the Champions League. All the past experiences helped, they are in the locker. It was important to see today if and how we could eliminate one of the favourites for the competition. It was a special moment and we want to enjoy it.
“The team knows that in order to do more extraordinary things, they have to study and work harder.
“Spain dominated in Europe for many years, but these things come in waves. We took on one of the favourites today and I am proud of Villarreal.”
