Barcelona faced Juventus Tuesday evening at Camp Nou in a clash that was touted as deciding the winners of Champions League Group G.
It did. Juventus won 3-0 courtesy of a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo and a goal from Winston McKennie. The Italians had to better Barcelona’s 2-0 victory over them in Turin in October to steal top spot, and they did.
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen admitted that it’s a disappointment to fail to finish first after leading the group for the majority of the campaign, but reiterated that qualification is the most important thing.
“Up to this point in the Champions League we have played very well and won some very difficult matches,” Ter Stegen said post-match in comments carried by Mundo Deportivo.
“This is less the case in this match as we had the ambition of winning the group, but it is what it is. The Champions League has no easy games, and it doesn’t matter so match whether you finish first or second, just whether you qualify.
The German also was clear in his ambition to move on from consecutive defeats against Cadiz and Juventus and focus on restoring their league form. The Blaugrana are currently ninth in La Liga and face Levante this weekend.
“Now we have to concentrate on the league, which is the most important thing. We have to try to get the maximum points possible. We’re not where we want to be in the league but we still have games to play, and we have the chance to recover some points. That’s the goal for these coming weeks.”
Featured image courtesy of Twitter.
