In a surprising turn of events, Juventus secured a 2-0 victory over reigning champions Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. This result deals a significant blow to City’s aspirations of securing a top-eight position in the group stage of Europe’s elite competition.
Dusan Vlahovic opened the scoring in the 53rd minute. Kenan Yildiz delivered a precise cross, and City’s goalkeeper Ederson fumbled Vlahovic’s close-range header, allowing the Serbian forward to sneak the ball just across the line with the help of goalline technology.
Vlahovic praised his team’s performance, stating, \"The whole team played an excellent match, we prepared well and did everything what we had to do. The result is amazing and can give us a great boost for the rest of the season.\"
Manchester City, who lifted the Champions League trophy in 2023, have faced a challenging period, winning only one of their last ten games across all competitions. Ilkay Gundogan highlighted the team’s struggles, attributing their poor form to a lack of confidence and mental issues. \"Sometimes one action we miss the ball or lose a duel and you can see that we drop immediately,\" Gundogan told Amazon Prime.
Despite City pushing forward in a desperate attempt to equalize, Juventus capitalized on the opportunity in the 75th minute. Weston McKennie delivered a sublime volley from Timothy Weah’s cross, doubling Juventus’s lead and sealing the win.
Pep Guardiola’s side missed several key opportunities, including a notable chance for Erling Haaland. Kevin De Bruyne’s beautiful through ball allowed Haaland to get behind the defense, but his attempt to chip Juventus’s goalkeeper Michele di Gregorio was expertly blocked. Gundogan’s long-range strike also narrowly missed, with di Gregorio pushing it wide.
Guardiola commended Juventus’s defensive prowess, stating, \"The Italian teams that defend so deep and so compact it is not easy, they are masters of these kinds of situations.\"
With two games remaining in the group phase, Juventus now sits at 14th in the table, while Manchester City has plummeted to 22nd, three places away from automatic elimination. Since November, City has conceded 21 goals across all competitions, marking the worst period in Guardiola’s otherwise illustrious managerial career.
Looking ahead, Manchester City is set to host Manchester United in the Premier League on December 16 and will continue their Champions League campaign against Paris Saint-Germain on January 22.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
