DONETSK — Juventus advanced to the knockout stages of the Champions League by winning 1-0 at Shakhtar Donetsk to clinch top spot in Group E on Wednesday.
The Italian champion only
had to avoid defeat to progress, and an own goal by Shakhtar defender
Olexander Kucher from Juventus right back Stephan Lichtsteiner’s low
cross in the 56th minute made sure of qualification.
The result meant Chelsea became the first defending champion to exit at the group stage despite thrashing Nordsjaelland 6-1.
Juventus
finished with 12 points, two more than Shakhtar and Chelsea. The
Ukrainian club went through due to a better head-to-head record. The
Blues were demoted to the Europa League.
“Our goal was achieved —
we advanced to the next stage,” Juventus coach Antonio Conte said. “We
look at the next games with optimism given our success in the group
stage against Chelsea and Shakhtar, so we look at the upcoming games
with calmness.”
A draw seemed unlikely from the kickoff as both
sides poured men forward, often with spells of possession that lasted
several minutes in each other’s half.
Shakhtar looked brighter
but, as the first half progressed, Juventus grew into the game and
started to find more space in attack. Juventus camped in Shakhtar’s
territory for about five minutes at one stage.
Juventus’ first
sight of goal came in the 10th minute when Mirko Vucinic received a pass
and volleyed over. In the 29th, Juventus forward Sebastian Giovinco
missed from the top of the box with only goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov to
beat.
Yet Shakhtar found it difficult to penetrate Juventus’ back three, with the Italian side making numerous interceptions.
Shakhtar
showed determination. In the first half, Fernandinho slid a smart pass
onto the right wing for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but his touch was too heavy.
Shakhtar’s
best chance came early in the second but goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon,
who was making his 100th appearance at European level, blocked Yaroslav
Rakitskiy’s free kick in the 49th. The rebound was missed by Alex
Teixeira, while teammate and substitute Ilsinho hit the post in the
67th.
“The game ended with the result dictated by the team that
wanted to win more,” Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu said. “Juventus
wanted the win more than we did, and they did it. I tried to motivate my
players as much as possible.
“I tried, but the outcome was what
it was. It was an even game but Juventus was more aggressive. This was
the last group game and we are satisfied with the overall result.”
