Two painless defeats, but still defeats. Juventus and Roma end badly a two days of Champions terrible for our football, albeit with the consolation (certainly not a small one) of having reached the round of XNUMX some time ago. This is what matters most, God forbid, especially for the Bianconeri, first in the standings and therefore expected from a draw with fewer pitfalls, yet having closed the rounds with two knockouts against Young Boys and Viktoria Plzen is annoying and leaves one sort of bitter in the mouth. Is it possible that our teams can't avoid certain embarrassments?
“It's always a shame to lose – admitted Allegri at the press conference. – Let's say that we have chosen when to do it without paying the consequences. We finished the group first and it's still a deserved result”.
Yes, yet the Lady, more than herself, must say thanks to Valencia, capable of beating Mourinho's Manchester United despite the total absence of stimuli. It was this, in the light of the result in Bern, that kept the Bianconeri at the top of the group, a fundamental condition for attending the draws with a little more tranquillity.
On Monday in Nyon one of Schalke 04, Ajax and Lyon, but also Atletico Madrid, Tottenham and Liverpool could come out: in short, a lot will depend on luck, however it is fair to underline that the round of XNUMX will need a superior Juve to that seen in the group stage, capable of making up for two defeats in six games with Manchester United and, indeed, Young Boys.
Insufficient game for the bianconeri, regardless of the numerous chances created. In fact, the game was disappointing, too slow and with alternating current, switched on only by Dybala's entry after the second half and far below European standards: if in Italy it is enough to rely on the plays of individuals, in Europe more is needed, even if you play against the small Young Boys. Who had the merit of trying from the start, as well as unlocking the game first (Hoarau penalty in the 30th minute) and doubling his lead right at the moment of maximum push for Juve (again Hoarau in the 68th minute). Dybala's goal (80') seemed to light up a little light of hope but it went out close to 90', when the Argentine himself was canceled a super goal for an offside by Ronaldo.
Painless defeat also for Roma, yet the bad impression remains. The Giallorossi then, compared to Juventus, certainly cannot speak of a hiccup: in fact, at home, between the championship and the cup, victory has been missing for more than a month. Since that 4-1 against Sampdoria on 11 November, two draws and three knockouts have arrived, the last one yesterday in Plzen against a Viktoria who thus detached the pass for the Europa League despite the sensational victory of CSKA Moscow at Real Madrid. The goals, both in the second half, by Kovarik (62') and Chory (72') were decisive, in the middle that of Under (68'), which however proved to be irrelevant.
"These matches are used to make reflections, even on a personal level - Di Francesco's bitter comment - I didn't get the answers I wanted, unfortunately we continue to concede too much, not to defend well...". Roma, already "sentenced" to second place before yesterday's match, will thus run the risk of finding themselves in the round of XNUMX one of Manchester City, Barcelona, PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Porto, in strictly decreasing order of difficulty. A problem which, however, may not concern Di Francesco: if he does not beat Genoa, in fact, it is probable that on Monday he will have much else to think about.
