Juventus put their domestic woes behind them to register a sensational come from behind 2-1 win against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the opening round of the UEFA Champions League.
Spanish striker Alvaro Morataa s 81st minute left footed curler turned out to be the winner for the Italian champions who recorded their victory on English soil since 1996.
Earlier, an own goal from veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini had given City the lead in the 57th minute resulting from a corner kick. The Juventus players were furious with the referee for allowing the goal to stand, alleging a foul on Chiellini by City captain Vincent Kompany in the buildup.
The Old Lady equalized 13 minutes later through Croatian International Mario Mandzukic, who got at the end of a glorious left wing cross by Paul Pogba.
Pellegrini brought on club record signing Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero in the 2nd half to salvage the situation but Juventus defended heroically and deservedly held on to record a memorable win in Manchester.
Citya s European woes continued as they yet again failed to win their opening round match in the UEFA Champions League.
Pellegrini Insists City played better than Juventus
A dejected Manuel Pellegrini insisted that Manchester City were the better side on the day and deserved to win the match.
a I think it was a strange game, I dona t think that we deserved to lose this game. We played better than Juventus, we had three clear chances to score, I think Gianluigi Buffon made a good save and we were very unlucky, especially on their first goal,a said Pellegrini.
a We played against a strong team, with not too many options, but I think we controlled the game and really I dona t remember Juventus creating important chances.
a I think it was a typical Champions League game, neither team created many chances, but we had possession and had very clear option at the beginning.
a Juventus have a lot of experience of playing in the Champions League. They scored two beautiful goals.
“We are just starting, ita s a game you never want to lose here at home because they are three very important points but the group is just starting.
a We have 15 points more to play for so it depends on the way we play the next game.
a Ita s not the best way to start losing at home against a strong team but it doesna t mean we wona t qualify, we have to play against Juventus there and another four games, and wea ll see which team has the most points at the end.
a The last two seasons we qualified for the knockout stage despite losing the first game, so therea s nothing to worry about.a
PELLEGRINI: “We played better football but Juventus had the experience to defend and scored beautiful goals.” #mcfc
a Manchester City FC (@MCFC) September 15, 2015
Yaya Toure Believes Juventus Were Lucky To Win
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Manchester Citya s midfield powerhouse Yaya Toure expressed his disappointment at the loss to Juventus and insisted that the Italian side were lucky to come away with all 3 points on the night.
a It was a disappointing game,a declared Toure.
a The Italian team played very well, defended very well and I think theya ve been lucky. I dona t think we played that bad.
a It can happen in football. We just have to be strong and try to bounce back in the Champions League.
a We just missed a lot today, we had a couple of chances and what we have to do is learn from Europe and try to do better next time.a
Allegri hails a Extraordinarya Gianluigi Buffon
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri praised the a extraordinarya performance of veteran keeper Gianluigi Buffon in his sidea s impressive 2-1 away win against English league leaders Manchester City. Buffon made a string of top drawer saves to keep Manchester City at bay at crucial junctures in the match.
a In the second half we did better going forward and without the anxiety to get that result. Today when 1-0 down, we risked conceding a second, and Gigi Buffon was extraordinary,a remarked Allegri.
a The lads put in a great performance and it wasna t easy. We shoulda ve done better in attack during the first half and missed chances, while we did have a goal disallowed.
a We allowed City very little and the goal came from an incident where we shouldna t have given the ball away.
“A victory represents a huge boost of confidence and helps you work better. A defeat woulda ve been seen badly, but we wanted to put in a good performance and turn the tide. Ita s a psychological issue too and these lads showed they were up to the task.a
a Man City have great individual talents, but my lads slowed down their moves and the only times they threatened was on the counter-attack. We never allowed City to create a decent attacking move.a
.@juventusfcen coach @OfficialAllegri feels his side got their just reward. What did you think of the game? #UCL pic.twitter.com/5gjxIsdBMa a Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 15, 2015