Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata rescued Juventus as the Italian giants came back from a goal down for a 2-1 win over Ferencvaros and progress to the last 16 of Champions League in Turin on Tuesday. Ferencvaros took the lead in the 19th minute itself before Ronaldo equalised and Morata slotted home the winner in the injury time.
Myrto Uzuni got the better of Juventus keeper Wojciech Szczesny for the opening goal inside the first 20 minutes thanks to a cross from Tokmac Nguen who beat two defenders for a well-placed cross. Ronaldo though had a goal ruled offside before he finally got one inside the net which also helped him draw level with great rival Lionel Messi for 70 home goals in Champions League football.
Ferencvaros’ goalkeeper Denes Dibusz though did well to keep Juventus at bay till the regulation time but he fumbled in the injury time allowing a Morata header go over the line.
“We had intended to start with a different attitude, but we know there can be difficulties in games that seem on paper to be simple. We had to chase the game,” Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo said after the match. “I expected more from the players, but Ferencvaros clammed up, we had to try to move the ball back and forth more quickly to spread them. We moved it too slowly, which made it easier for them to defend.”
Pirlo though admitted Paulo Dybala wasn’t at his best.
“Dybala didn’t do that well,” said Pirlo. “He was injured and had to take antibiotics for weeks, so it’s natural he needs time to get back into shape. He does need to go beyond his limits in training to rediscover his form.”
Juventus have entered the knockout stage of Champions League for a seventh consecutive season.