Juventus played out a thrilling 0-0 draw against Aston Villa on Wednesday evening at Villa Park, in the fifth round of the Champions League group stage.
Aston Villa came close to securing all three points in the dying moments of the match, with a potential last-minute goal in the 90+4th minute. However, the video assistant referee (VAR) intervened, disallowing the goal for an infringement, much to Juventus’ relief.
The draw brought Villa’s points tally to 10, placing them in ninth position, while Juventus earned a crucial point, moving to 8 points and sitting in 19th place in the standings.
The match began with both teams exchanging possession, with Juventus initially dominating the ball before Aston Villa regained their composure and began to create threats through swift counterattacks.
In the 14th minute, Villa had a dangerous opportunity from a corner, where defender Pau Torres met the ball with a header inside the six-yard box, but it sailed over the crossbar, narrowly missing the target.
Juve’s first real attempt came after 20 minutes, when Yildiz cut inside from the left and fired a shot, but it went wide of Villa’s goal.
The most dangerous moment of the first half arrived in the 37th minute for Villa, when a series of passes set up Watkins, who received a perfect ball from Camara. He fired a powerful shot that was brilliantly saved by Juventus goalkeeper Di Gregorio, turning it out for a corner.
Seconds later, Juventus launched a counterattack, with Weah charging forward and sending a powerful shot from the edge of the box, but it sailed over the bar. Villa goalkeeper Martinez was then called into action once more, saving Conceicao’s attempt from the right side.
In stoppage time, Villa left-back Lucas Digne stepped up to take a free kick, sending a fierce shot toward goal that rattled the crossbar before going wide, denying Villa a certain goal as the first half ended in a goalless stalemate.
The second half began with a strong push from Juventus as Conceicao, starting from the right wing, cut into the box and fired a shot that struck a defender. There were appeals for a penalty, but the referee waved them off, allowing play to continue.
A crucial moment came in the 65th minute when Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made a stunning goal-line save. After a corner was swung in to the far post, Conceicao was left unmarked and directed a header toward goal, but Martinez’s quick reflexes kept Villa in the game, pushing the ball away from the line.
Villa then responded with a dangerous chance of their own. A pass from Bailey found McGinn, who fired toward goal, but Juventus goalkeeper Di Gregorio was up to the task, making a vital save to keep the match scoreless.
In the dying seconds of the match, Aston Villa thought they had scored a dramatic winner. Rogers capitalized on a free kick taken by Tielemanis, with Di Gregorio misjudging the delivery, allowing the ball to pass him and leave Rogers to tap it into an empty net. However, after reviewing the goal via video technology, the referee ruled it out due to a mistake by the goalkeeper, and the final whistle blew, sealing a 0-0 draw.
Other games results come as follows :
- Stuttgart 1-5 Crvena Zvezda
- Girona 0-1 Sturm Graz
- Lille 2-1 Bologna
- Shakhtar Donetsk 2-3 PSV Eindhoven
- Benfica 3-2 Monaco
- Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb
- Club Brugge 1-1 Celtic
