Birmingham (Reuters)
Aston Villa was content with a scoreless draw with its guest Juventus in the Champions League, after a goal scored by Morgan Rogers in the last moments of the match was canceled due to a foul on Juventus goalkeeper Michel Di Gregorio.
Aston Villa thought they had achieved victory in the final minutes, ending a series of 6 matches without a win, when Di Gregorio failed to handle a free kick, but Diego Carlos committed a foul against the Juventus goalkeeper, while Rogers was shooting the ball into the net.
Booing erupted from Villa fans after the final whistle.
Villa coach Unai Emery told reporters: “The referee’s explanation was just an explanation, and for me of course (the decision was harsh). Here in England, I know it is not usually a mistake, because it was a very weak challenge. In Europe, what happened could be considered a mistake.” .
The match was not traditional at all, as Juventus seemed satisfied with possession of the ball, while both teams wasted many opportunities.
Villa’s best chance came from Lucas Digne, who hit a free kick that hit the crossbar seconds before the end of the first half.
In the middle of the second half, it seemed that a header from Francisco Conceicao from a corner kick was on its way towards Aston Villa’s goal, but goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez jumped to clear the ball with his fingertips, and television replays showed that the ball did not cross the goal line in its entirety.
Villa captain John McGinn almost gave the hosts the lead when he received a pass from Leon Bailey in the 70th minute, but Manuel Locatelli blocked the Scottish international’s shot.
Emery said: “We were closer than them to winning the match, and it is very difficult to beat them, but we made a plan. There were not many clear chances for either team.”
Aston Villa, led by coach Emery, who started his Champions League campaign with three wins and three clean sheets, is ranked ninth in the standings after five matches.
The Italian visitor, who was unbeaten in Serie A this season and had only 14 players available, is ranked 19th out of 36 teams.
The top eight automatically qualify for the round of 16, with the next 16 teams going into a two-game play-off to try to join them.
The victory would have given coach Emery’s team a huge boost of confidence, as it had not achieved any victory since its 2-0 victory over Bologna in the Champions League on October 22nd, and it fell to eighth place in the English Premier League standings, with one win in the last five matches.
Juventus coach Thiago Motta said: “We always want to win, and we have three matches to qualify.
“It is an important moment, as we have to play every match with our maximum energy as we did.”
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