Allegri: Everything seemed to go wrong against Young Boys
Guillaume Hoarau scored in either half as Young Boys inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Juventus in their final Champions League group game yesterday morning (Singapore time) in Switzerland, but the Italian side still took top spot in Group H after Manchester United lost by the same scoreline to Valencia.
The Swiss champions proved too hot to handle for the Cristiano Ronaldo-led Italian side, whose 26-match away unbeaten run going back to November 2016 ended in freezing temperatures in Bern.
France forward Hoarau slotted in the first from the spot after half an hour at the Stade de Suisse, before blasting in the second after 68 minutes to lift the spirits of his already eliminated side, who finished bottom of the group.
Paulo Dybala - who scored a hat-trick in the reverse fixture in Turin - came off the bench just after the second goal and pulled one back for Massimiliano Allegri's side 10 minutes from time and had a second disallowed in injury time.
Juventus finished top of Group H on 12 points, with United on 10, Valencia on eight and Young Boys with four.
"We achieved our objective by winning the group, even on a night where everything seemed to go wrong, maybe we weren't focused enough," said Allegri.
DESERVE TO LOSE
"We missed so many opportunities and gifted a penalty, so at the end of the day, it was only right that we lost."
Ronaldo, the record scorer in Europe's elite club competition with 120 goals, started the final group match despite Juventus already having secured a berth in the knockout round as Allegri wanted to ensure his side avoided being drawn against Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain in the next round.
"Now the best part of the Champions League is coming," said Ronaldo, who has lifted the trophy five times. "Today, we're not happy because we wanted to win in the first half.
"I could have scored several goals, and if I did, the result would probably have been different. I feel good physically.
"The fact of playing every match is a decision that I take together with my coach."
Juve face city rivals Torino on Sunday morning (Singapore time), looking to extend their eight-point lead in Serie A. - AFP
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