Juventus goes down miserably
Ex-BVB star gives Tuchel’s Chelsea air
03/16/2022 10:56 p.m
Chelsea dominate the headlines. Not for sporting reasons, but because of the still owner Roman Abramowitsch. Coach Tuchel’s team is unimpressed by this in Lille and confidently makes it into the quarter-finals of the Champions League. For Juventus it ends in a debacle.
Lille OSC 1-2 Chelsea (1-1)
Defending champions FC Chelsea have confidently reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League despite the fuss about club owner Roman Abramovich. Team manager Thomas Tuchel’s team routinely won 2-1 (1-1) against the French representative OSC Lille. The pairings in the round of eight will be drawn on Friday (12 p.m. / DAZN).
Former Dortmund player Christian Pulisic (45+3) calmed the minds of the Londoners who won the first leg 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Cesar Azpilicueta (71st) made everything clear. The Turkish international striker Burak Yilmaz (38th penalty) initially put Lille in the lead. The northern French also missed the quarter-finals in their seventh premier class participation.
Tuchel tried to take the headlines about the oligarch Abramovich, who was subject to severe sanctions because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, and the unusual need to economize with humor: “If I have to drive a seven-seater, then I will do it.” Meanwhile, in the background, consortia are already forming for the billion-dollar takeover of the Blues.
The three German internationals played their usual roles at Chelsea: Kai Havertz as a striker, Antonio Rüdiger in the back three, Timo Werner on the reserve bench.
Chelsea initially relied on control of the game, but a handball in their own penalty area by Italian European champions Jorginho and Yilmaz’s converted penalty suddenly created tension. Shortly before the change of sides, Chelsea combined for the first time quickly and worth seeing over several stations, Pulisic equalized from an acute angle with the Blues’ first shot on goal.
After the break, Lille threw everything forward and had good chances, so Xeka hit the post (63′). However, Chelsea scored the goal through long-time favorite Azpilicueta, who kneed in Mason Mount’s cross.
Juventus – Villarreal 0:3 (0:0)
After collapsing in the final phase, Italy’s football record champions Juventus Turin were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League for the third time in a row. In the second leg, the favorites conceded a hearty 0:3 (0:0) at home against FC Villarreal and had to bury their dream of a big title again early.
Gerard Moreno with a penalty kick after video evidence (78th), Pau Torres (85th) and Arnaut Danjuma (90th + 2 / hand penalty) ensured that the Spaniards are again in the top eight in the premier class for the first time since 2008/09.
Three weeks after the 1-1 draw in Spain, Juventus got off to a stormy start and had the first big chance of the game: Geronimo Rulli brilliantly parried a header from Alvaro Morata (11′). A good ten minutes later, Villarreal’s goalkeeper saved the shot from 70-million man Dusan Vlahovic (20′), shortly afterwards the Serb put the ball on the bar (21′).
The Spaniards were only able to free themselves from the middle of the first half and became dangerous themselves, albeit sporadically. Giovani Lo Celso narrowly missed the goal at the best opportunity to date (22nd). After the break, Juventus initially failed to put the guests under pressure despite their visual superiority. Fourth in Serie A bit the teeth of the Spanish defense and fell behind out of nowhere.
After an alleged foul by Juve defender Daniele Rugani on Francis Coquelin, referee Szymon Marciniak awarded a penalty and Moreno scored. Torres followed up after a corner and decided the duel. Danjuma put the finishing touches.