Villarreal drew 1-1 with Juventus at La Ceramica on Tuesday evening in the first leg of the Champions League last 16. Dusan Vlahovic opened the scoring in the first minute only for Dani Parejo to draw the Yellow Submarine on level terms in the 66th.
The result means that the tie is very much in the balance and will be decided in the second leg in Turin, which is scheduled to take place on March 16th. Given the away goal rule no longer counts in European competition Villarreal have a very good chance indeed.
Villarreal came into the game sixth in La Liga having recovered after an underwhelming start to their campaign. They’re three points behind Barcelona, 18 behind leaders Real Madrid.
Juventus came into the game fourth in Serie A, still seething after losing their league title to Internazionale last season. They’re three points clear of Atalanta and nine behind pace-setters Milan.
“I’m happy with how the team reacted in-game,” Massimiliano Allegri said post-match as carried by Marca. “We played against an opponent that’s in top form. I’m sorry for the goal we conceded because at first it seemed that everything was going well but then we took risks. Parejo scored a fantastic goal. It was a complex match that we approached correctly.
“The second leg? We have to win, that’s it. Vlahovic played a great game because playing against [Raul] Albiol isn’t easy. Villarreal is a good team, not one you can go 3-0 up on. We have to play [results football], look for the long shots. A Juventus team that’s ugly and wins is better than a Juventus team that’s pretty and loses. [The second leg] will be a final, that’s clear. We have to be patient and know the team that we’re going to be up against.”
