Juventus’ fortunes have once again changed in their favour as they defeated a tenacious Sporting Lisbon club to secure their spot in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals on Friday.
Juventus advanced to the next round despite the game’s 1-1 tie because of their superior 2-1 overall score. The Portuguese team had already beaten Premier League champions Arsenal in the Round of 16 by a score of 5-3 overall, defying the odds.
Lisbon has pulled off some incredible performances at their home stadium. Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri’s men knew it wouldn’t be an easy battle for them; however, their defence held on, and they managed to walk away with a victory.
“We knew how to suffer but also create chances, especially in the second half. We knew there would be difficulties, but we brought home a good result on a day on which we saw our 15 points returned. Now in the league, we have to recover to cement ourselves in the top four. Today everyone played a good game; the three in midfield did very well. Now we face Sevilla, a good team who play well and have won this competition many times, said Massimiliano Allegri after the match, as quoted by Juventus FC.
Aiden Rabiot scored in the 9th minute to give Juventus an advantage in the early moments of the game. Marcus Edwards brought the game back to parity in the 20th minute following a penalty.
As Juve continues to progress in European competition, their position in the league has undergone many changes. In January, they suffered a 15-point deduction due to the club’s past transfer dealings spanning two years from 2019 to 2021. But after appealing against the decision, the 15-point ban has been temporarily lifted.
This has changed the scenario of the Serie A table, as Juve jumped right into the third spot with 59 points. Juventus will be back in action on Monday against Napoli, while their next opponent in the UEL semi-final will be Sevilla.