GNUpdate (Sports News)—Juventus slumped to a 2-zero defeat in opposition to a Maccabi Haifa facet who received their first Champions League sport for twenty years as Omer Atzili’s double helped the Israelis to a famous victory at a rocking Sammy Ofer Stadium on Tuesday.
The end result leaves 0.33-positioned Juve’s possibilities of qualifying for the knockout ranges striking via a thread with the pinnacle groups in group H — Paris St Germain and Benfica — 4 points ahead earlier than they play every different afterward Tuesday.
Juve had by no means misplaced three in their first four fits in the institution level earlier than, however the win turned into nicely deserved for a buzzing Haifa group that played with lots of energy — a stark contrast to the Italians who have been second best.
Although the loss places greater pressure on Juventus supervisor Massimiliano Allegri, along with his aspect additionally suffering in Serie A wherein they’re eighth, the membership’s president Andrea Agnelli said the instruct’s activity was not underneath threat.
“nowadays is a difficult nighttime. I experience ashamed for what is taking place, i’m angry,” Agnelli instructed Sky recreation.
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“Allegri will live at the least till the cease of the season. It’s no longer the coach’s fault that we cannot even make a tackle. In this kind of scenario you can not blame one unmarried person, it’s the entire group.”
While requested if he might renounce, Allegri stated: “No, i’m not going to step down, truly. Because it’s a challenge now. When it receives harder, it’s even greater lovely. We should pop out of it with courage and choice.”
Haifa had the right begin, taking the lead inside the seventh minute whilst winger Atzili headed domestic Pierre Cornud’s cross, which left Juve goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny scrambling at the goal line as he failed to hold the ball out.
5 mins later Tjaronn Chery’s free kick came off the bar earlier than Szczesny changed into forced into another diving store from long variety because the site visitors struggled to impose themselves on a group they beat three-1 within the opposite fixture.
Juve’s issues were compounded once they misplaced Angel Di Maria to injury once more, with the Argentine winger clutching his hamstring before the half-hour mark earlier than his withdrawal.
The house aspect continued to pile the stress on and it paid off simply earlier than 1/2-time whilst Atzili doubled the lead with a stinging strike to Szczesny’s near submit which the Polish keeper were given a hand to however could not hold out.
Juventus had their possibilities but were denied time and again within the final 1/3 at the same time as Maccabi’s American keeper Josh Cohen made a couple of best saves to keep a easy sheet.
For Haifa, it changed into their first victory in a Champions League sport because they beat Olympiakos in the organization level in 2002.
“it’s difficult to explain [what went wrong], we just need to be silent due to the fact we did no longer have an awesome overall performance from the character point of view,” Allegri said. “We want to get out of this case and maintain quiet. Our processes lack coronary heart and passion. We play too in my opinion, we must cross lower back to being a crew.”
