Thursday, December 12 at 00:20
Short version
- Manchester City risks missing the top eight in the Champions League after another loss.
- Juventus secured an critically importent victory with goals from Dusan Vlahovic adn Weston McKennie.
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And that’s not all: As number 22 on the table, they are under pressure to be among the 24 teams that advance.
Positions 9 to 24 will have to go through an extra playoff round before the round of 16, while the remaining twelve teams will be eliminated.
Dusan Vlahovic scored the first goal, before substitute Weston McKennie sealed another City defeat with a superb finish.
– We are witnessing a collapse unlike anything seen in European club football. No one saw it coming, commented TV 2’s Morten Langli after the 2–0 result was confirmed.
Manchester City’s nightmare run is nothing short of incredible. They have now lost seven of their last ten matches, winning only one of those.
These are unusual numbers for a team that went 32 matches without losing in the Premier League until their 1–2 loss to Bournemouth on November 2 of this year.
At the same time, they set a Champions League record with 26 matches without a loss before Sporting thrashed them 4–1 three days after Bournemouth ended their Premier League run.
In a chance-lacking first half, it was Erling Braut Haaland who came closest to scoring.
Kevin De Bruyne made an excellent through ball, but the Norwegian failed to outsmart goalkeeper Michele di Gregorio.
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson was unlucky and clumsy when Dusan Vlahovic headed Juventus into the lead after 53 minutes.
– that was weak goalkeeping by Ederson,said Morten Langli.
– He was hit in the chest. You’re being harsh now, Morten, echoed TV 2 expert and co-commentator Simen Stamsø Møller.
<img alt="OVER THE LINE: Ederson could not prevent a goal here.Photo: MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP / NTB" class="_image_e3l64_72 layout-component layout-normal" data-fullscreen-sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 2000px, 2000vw" data-track-element-type="Article image fullscreen" data-track-name="ImageFullscreen" decoding="async" loading="lazy" height="4014" itemprop="image" sizes="(min-width: 980px) 980px, 100vw" src="https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/540acb30-1b12-4f28-b7ea-cf54b2a3f557?format=auto&w=40&s=e7a1371c1e60fb629ff3d26fd150373efe61469a" srcset="https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/540acb30-1b12-4f28-b7ea-cf54b2a3f557?format=auto&w=40&s=e7a1371c1e60fb629ff3d26fd150373efe61469a 40w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/540acb30-1b12-4f28-b7ea-cf54b2a3f557?format=auto&w=80&s=fa44f596542b5a356561bdfbb271d97457bdea81 80w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/540acb30-1b12-4f28-b7ea-cf54b2a3f557?format=auto&w=100&s=a2fd35b95daa71fe7f5157f5722a54b204c268a8 100w,https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/540acb30-1b12-4f28-b7ea-cf54b2a3f557?format=auto&w=200&s=c5846e8e58132c5f5079c7865492da7bae4e3d85 200w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/540acb30-1b12-4f28-b7ea-cf54b2a3f557?format=auto&w=240&s=763dda0c0d7bc9024a11005020666baaf20c5cae 240w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/540acb30-1b12-4f28-b7ea-cf54b2a3f557?format=auto&w=480&s=b166324baa099e63d514452d46f6ff382b0fa517 480w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/540acb30-1b12-4f28-b7ea-cf54b2a3f557?format=auto&w=580&s=ef12e9eab5016fefd879cd81bb6b1a8a381ea441 580w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/540acb30-1b12-4f28-b7ea-cf54b2a3f557?format=auto&w=720&s=f63a01b899dabeeaa75338ebd01c5ce9c0d6be0f 720w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/540acb30-1b12-4f28-b7ea-cf54b2a3f557?format=auto&w=1080&s=0716574c08afa46b51a4476443dfbfce0e2f3619 1080w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/540acb30-1b12-4f28-b7ea-cf54b2a3f557?format=auto&w=1440&s=
Ederson could not be blamed for the second goal, however. Juventus manager Thiago Motta hit the mark when he substituted in the American duo Tim Weah and Weston McKennie.
The two were behind the second goal. Weah lifted the ball delightfully to the back post,where McKennie hammered it into the net on the volley.
<img alt="DOUBLE: Weston McKennie blasts in Juventus’ second goal of the match. Photo: Claudia Greco / Reuters / NTB" class="_image_e3l64_72 layout-component layout-normal" data-fullscreen-sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 2000px, 2000vw" data-track-element-type="Article image fullscreen" data-track-name="ImageFullscreen" decoding="async" loading="lazy" height="1126" itemprop="image" sizes="(min-width: 980px) 980px, 100vw" src="https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/a7d0c4ba-344e-495a-b0be-85f57e5484d9?format=auto&w=40&s=4a8f023003a1c19716cb96f6432f915236d443bc" srcset="https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/a7d0c4ba-344e-495a-b0be-85f57e5484d9?format=auto&w=40&s=4a8f023003a1c19716cb96f6432f915236d443bc 40w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/a7d0c4ba-344e-495a-b0be-85f57e5484d9?format=auto&w=80&s=d60bf1851865207d80108915131f3dddda525d98 80w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/a7d0c4ba-344e-495a-b0be-85f57e5484d9?format=auto&w=100&s=18b5e06af207300bdfdbfa6d2d99c19b68e6f4c8 100w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/a7d0c4ba-344e-495a-b0be-85f57e5484d9?format=auto&w=200&s=2aa3df839ebd648868390b3e0531951813806d77 200w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/a7d0c4ba-344e-495a-b0be-85f57e5484d9?format=auto&w=240&s=00fd38e8f59a146a9865b346aed79767c4b69017 240w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/a7d0c4ba-344e-495a-b0be-85f57e5484d9?format=auto&w=480&s=32800bb0aecfa6705799d9c5256392491baa5397 480w,https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/a7d0c4ba-344e-495a-b0be-85f57e5484d9?format=
For Juventus, the dream of the top eight is very much alive.
– It is indeed a tremendous triumph for Thiago Motta. This is Juventus’ strongest single victory in many years, said Stamsø Møller.
They currently have eleven points and are only two points behind the top eight with two matches remaining. These will be played in January. Juventus has Benfica and Club Brugge in their last two matches.
For Manchester City, a tough away game against PSG awaits in their next match before Belgian Club Brugge comes to Etihad for the final match.
The Frenchmen, moreover, are under pressure and desperately need points, as they are currently 25th in the table.
While the top eight go directly to the round of 16, places 9 to 24 will enter a playoff round.
Even though Manchester City is currently 22nd, one win in their last two matches should be enough to qualify for the playoff round.
In the round of 16, the eight directly qualified teams will be drawn against the eight playoff winners.
What impact does Kennie’s goal have on Juventus’ standing in the Champions League?
kennie celebrates after scoring the second goal. Photo: MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP / NTB” class=”imagewas45f3274 layout-component layout-normal” data-fullscreen-sizes=”(min-width: 1000px) 2000px, 2000vw” data-track-element-type=”Article image fullscreen” data-track-name=”ImageFullscreen” decoding=”async” loading=”lazy” height=”4014″ itemprop=”image” sizes=”(min-width: 980px) 980px, 100vw” src=”https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/anotherimage.jpg” srcset=”https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/anotherimagelowres40w.jpg 40w,https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/anotherimagelowres80w.jpg 80w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/anotherimagelowres100w.jpg 100w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/anotherimagelowres200w.jpg 200w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/anotherimagelowres240w.jpg 240w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/anotherimagelowres480w.jpg 480w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/anotherimagelowres580w.jpg 580w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/anotherimagelowres720w.jpg 720w,https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/anotherimagelowres1080w.jpg 1080w, https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/anotherimagelowres_1440w.jpg 1440w”>
The match ended with a 2-0 victory for Juventus, solidifying Manchester City’s dismal run of form. The defeat raises serious concerns as they find themselves in a precarious position in the group standings of the Champions League, facing the very real possibility of elimination if they do not improve their performance in the upcoming matches.
The media and fans alike are left to wonder how a team that once boasted one of the strongest records in Europe could slide so significantly in such a short timeframe.
