September 19, 2024

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Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. stare at Champions League last-16 exit as Porto stun Juventus

3 min read

Image Source : AP Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Porto’s Sergio Oliviera vie for the ball in Porto on Wednesday evening.

Porto scored at first of every half to beat Juventus 2-1 within the first leg of the spherical of 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday.

Mehdi Taremi gave Porto the lead after simply 63 seconds after a defensive mixup by Juventus gifted him a simple end, and Moussa Marega netted 19 seconds into the second half.

Federico Chiesa scored what might show to be a significant away aim for Juventus within the 82nd minute.

“Our approach changed after a minute, because when you concede like that after a minute you lose confidence,” Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo mentioned. “The lads let their heads drop a however they usually (Porto) might play the match they needed, closing themselves up and counterattacking.

“Luckily we managed to get back on track for the return match with Chiesa’s goal. We shouldn’t have played this type of match and it’s a pity, we could have done better. We had prepared a different game.”

Juventus ahead Cristiano Ronaldo was saved quiet on his return to his homeland because the guests struggled to make an influence, though the Portugal worldwide did have a penalty attraction waved away within the remaining seconds of stoppage time.

The second leg might be on March 9 in Turin.

“Juventus had its first dangerous shot only in the 70th minute and we are talking about the Italian champion, a very strong team with some of the best players in the world,” Porto coach Sérgio Conceição mentioned. “That reveals the solidity of our efficiency.

“We could have made it 3-0. … It is bittersweet: the players did not deserve the goal we conceded.”

In the opposite round-of-16 match on Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund got here from behind to win 3-2 at Sevilla.

Juventus beat Porto residence and away with out conceding a aim the final time the 2 sides met on the similar stage 4 years in the past.

But it gifted Porto the lead after barely a minute when Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur tried to play a again move to goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, not realizing Taremi was proper behind him to intercept and slot residence from six yards.

Juventus appeared to lack vitality and concepts and its evening bought worse within the thirty fifth when captain Giorgio Chiellini limped off with a calf harm.

Porto was even faster off the mark at first of the second half when Wilson Manafá ran down the precise earlier than rolling throughout for Marega to show in on the close to put up.

Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo introduced on ahead Álvaro Morata shortly after the hour mark for Weston McKennie.

Morata had scored six objectives in as many Champions League appearances this season and Juventus regarded extra harmful after he got here on.

Porto hadn’t conceded a aim at residence within the Champions League this season however that streak got here to an finish when Adrien Rabiot burst down the left and crossed for Chiesa to fireside a first-time shot into the far nook.

Chiesa turned the primary Juventus participant other than Ronaldo to attain in a Champions League knockout sport since Blaise Matuidi in 2018.

That appeared to wake Juventus up and it got here near snatching what would have been an undeserved draw.

Ronaldo was left livid when he went down beneath a problem from Zaidu Sanusi seconds earlier than the full-time whistle and the incident was not checked out on video overview.

(With inputs from AP.)