Valencia 0-2 Juventus
Juventus’ first Champions League game was much anticipated by fans all over the world. After all, it is Cristiano Ronaldo’s first game as a Juventus man. He has brought a lot of success to Real Madrid in Europe, and many Juventus fans were hoping that he would bring the same magic to the Old Lady.
You know that Juventus have it good when even the Valencia vs Juventus predictions saw that they will cruise past Valencia. But what many people didn’t expect was the manner in which they won the match.
Spoiler alert: Juventus won. Another spoiler: Ronaldo was nowhere to be found on the pitch when the final whistle was blown.
Highlights of the game
Max Allegri reminded the press (and his team) that the Champions League is a tough place to play against, and they can easily trip themselves if they’re not focused.
The Estadio de Mestalla still remembers how Cristiano Ronaldo wreaked havoc as a Real Madrid man, so they didn’t hesitate to let their feelings known to the Portuguese superstar when he walked out of the tunnel and into the pitch.
The Bats mirrored the crowd’s sentiments and started the game with a fiery desire to upset the heavy favourites and get their Champions League campaign on the right foot. They had their attempts to unsettle their guests, but the Old Lady’s defence was resolute. They were more than able to shake off whatever Valencia threw at them.
Juve immediately made their presence felt after the 10-minute mark when a cross inside the pitch ended up in front of Mario Mandzukic’s feet. The Croatia striker fired the shot towards the roof of the net, but the ball, unfortunately, dipped over the bar.
It was from that point on that the Valencia faithful hold their breath for a barrage of Juventus attacks. Sami Khedira got a beautiful pass from Federico Bernardeschi, but the ball flew over the bar. Neto had to pull off a superb save when Bernardeschi himself took another shot. Blaise Matuidi also fired a shot that was blocked by the backline.
It was starting to get frustrating for both sides, and the play started to get physical. The frustration peaked in the 29th minute when Jeison Murillo was apparently tussled and rolled to the ground. Ronaldo seemingly smacked the Colombian’s head in frustration, and a verbal altercation broke out between the two sides.
Felix Byrch approached the fourth official for verification, beckoned Ronaldo to come over, and pulled out a red card. Ronaldo was emotional and was in denial as he walked off the pitch. Valencia’s supporters didn’t hide their delight as they greeted the dejected Portugal international with cheers and jeers on his way to the locker room.
The red card was eventually revealed to be a poor call as footage revealed Ronaldo didn’t actually hurt the Valencia defender. The call dampened the Juventus star’s mojo after enjoying a weekend wherein he scored two goals. If the decision stands after Juventus’ likely protest, Ronaldo will miss out his Old Trafford homecoming.
Chelsea loanee Michy Batshuayi tried to build upon the momentum and get the hosts ahead of the Serie A giants, but Wojciech Szczesny denied the goal. However, it was at this moment that Juventus woke up and played purposeful football once more.
Daniel Parejo made a clumsy challenge inside the box and gave away a penalty in the 43rd minute. Miralem Pjanic stepped up to the spot, launched the ball to the bottom right. Neto made the right guess, but the ball was placed too far from his outstretched hands. Juventus were up 0-1 as the half ended.
Marcelino Garcia pushed his team to do better during the break, and Rodrigo’s strike in the 48th minute almost equalised the goal. However, the former Arsenal stopper’s save kept them a goal short.
Juventus’ pressure despite being a man down eventually got to the hosts as Murillo, the architect behind Ronaldo’s ejection, pulled a Juventus jersey. Byrch pointed to the spot, Pjanic stepped up once again, slotted the ball to the bottom right, and doubled the lead.
The goal clearly dealt a cutting blow to Valencia and tried everything they could in the last forty minutes to recuperate their losses. However, the Juve backline was as strong as ever and didn’t allow any goals through.
The remainder of the Mestalla saw some late drama when Daniele Rugani made a reckless foul at the end of the game. Parejo had a chance to erase his wrongs with a late spot-kick, but Szczesny was just outstanding between the sticks: his great anticipation gave the fans one more heartbreak before the referee blew the final whistle.
Key statistics
Ronaldo has gotten five straight red cards in his professional career prior to his first Champions League ejection. However, this latest straight red card was the fastest direct red card he got: all of his direct reds were given in the second half.
Juventus’ dilemma definitely gave Valencia the momentum in terms of the game stats. The Bats got 27 goal attempts, got six of those on target, and forced six super saves from Szczesny. However, it was Juventus who made the most of their chances.
What’s next?
There are more Champions League 2018 highlights to savour as the group stage is still far from over.
Juventus, a club that saw its shares double ever since bringing in Ronaldo, will be playing Young Boys at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. SBOBET tips favour Juventus to triumph, with or without Ronaldo. In the Serie A, they face newly promoted side Frosinone next.
Meanwhile, Valencia face Manchester United at Old Trafford up next. They need to step up their game against a strong United side if they want to keep their hopes of making it out the group stage. Locally, their next opponents are Villareal.
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