Sevilla showed their resilient side as they held Juventus to a goalless draw on Wednesday for an unbeaten start to their Champions League campaign.
Sevilla made five changes to their 2-1 win against Las Palmas over the weekend, with the injured Samir Nasri and Benoit Tremoulinas plus suspended Thimothee Kolodziejczak out and Sergio Rico, Gabriel Mercado, Matias Kranevitter, Vicente Iborra and Vitolo in to join the remaining six in a 4-2-3-1 formation, spearheaded by false nine Franco Vazquez.
Sami Khedira was making his 50th Champions League appearance, and the former Real Madrid midfielder wasted the first chance of the game after eight minutes, slicing an angled drive well wide when sent clear by a Paulo Dybala through ball.
The Germany international missed another sitter on a Dybala pass, this time firing straight at Sergio Rico, as did Gonzalo Higuain moments later.
Sevilla were far more defensive than expected and the Bianconeri continually ran into a wall of yellow, though Higuain thought he’d scored on 59 minutes only for his header to smack against the bar from 12 yards on a Dani Alves assist.
Miralem Pjanic, Alex Sandro and ex-Sampdoria winger Joaquin Correa were introduced to break the tactical deadlock, yet it was Correa who had a great chance within minutes, turning Giorgio Chiellini inside out with some fancy footwork to blast across the face of goal, just past the far top corner.
At the other end, Alves rolled across the six-yard box and Rico got a fingertip to it, preventing the Dybala tap-in, before Higuain horribly side-footed a volley high and wide from Khedira’s ball over the top.
Nico Pareja crucially blocked Higuain from meeting Pjanic’s assist from point-blank range, but the Argentine and his defence had Sergio Rico to thank when the goalkeeper scrambled across for a fantastic save to punch Alex Sandro’s header off the line at the base of the near post.
Juventus 0-0 Sevilla
Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Alves, Khedira, Lemina, Asamoah (Pjanic 68), Evra (Alex Sandro 68); Higuain, Dybala (Pjaca 86)
Sevilla: Rico; Mercado, Rami, Pareja, Escudero; N'Zonzi, Kranevitter (Mariano 78); Vitolo, Iborra, Sarabia (Correa 64); Vazquez (Carriço 90)
Referee: Aytekin [GER]
