Juventus vs. Lokomotiv match saw, Juventus sealing their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with an injury-time winner at Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow against Lokomotiv Moscow in Group D. With all due respect to Lokomotiv and Bayer, but Atletico is the only significant threat to Juventus on paper and the Bianconerri would have expected to qualify from the group stage pretty easily.
Early Goals
Aaron Ramsey had put the visitors ahead within four minutes – becoming the first British player to score a Champions League goal for Juventus – reacting quickest after Guilherme let the ball through past him, of a Cristiano Ronaldo’s freekick. Ramsey pushed the ball inside from goal line. Aaron Ramsey’s opening goal became the 300th goal Juventus have scored in the Champions League; the fifth club to reach this after Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester United.
Less than 10 minutes later, the hosts scored to level, with Aleksey Mirachuk showing great reflexes to convert after his initial header had rebounded off the post. Miranchuk became the first player to score home and away during the group stages of a Champions League campaign against Juventus since Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2013-14
Living Dangerously
Leonardo Bonucci made a great goal line save at 77 minute of the match. This is the prove that Lokomotiv have always brought fight back to Juventus doorstep and it was not a easy match or easy win for the visitors.
Cristiano Ronaldo Substitution
Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t seem happy at being taken off in the 81st minute of Juventus’ 2-1 win over Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League. Maurizio Sarri replaced Ronaldo with Paulo Dybala with the score level at 1-1.
Ronaldo had been close to scoring his 128th Champions League goal in the game. Still, former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey followed up his team-mate’s free-kick to stab the ball home after Lokomotiv’s keeper fumbled it.
“He was annoyed because he wasn’t well [physically],” Sarri said about Ronaldo’s reaction to the substitution. “He’s been feeling a small niggle in his ankle for the last few days, and his adductor was hurting him. “I was already nervous about this at half time. “After, when I saw him move to a sprint that I didn’t like, I took him off because I was afraid he’d hurt himself.”
Costa Winner
Just when the game seemed destined to end as a stalemate, Douglas Costa combined well with Gonzalo Higuain, showing great footwork before slotting into the back of the net in the third minute of injury time.
Sarri, though must be relieved to qualify to the knockout round, should be worried about the attacking third. In spite of having the best of the world, Juventus are not firing well in Serie A or other championship.