UEFA Champions League: Villarreal stun Juventus to enter QFs
Mar 17, 2022
Turin [Italy], March 17 : Villarreal stunned Juventus 4-1 on aggregate with three late goals to go through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League with a spring in their step in Turin on Wednesday.
Thankful to the woodwork and to Geronimo Rulli for a string of fine saves that kept Juventus at bay, Villarreal were forced to sit deep for extended periods before unleashing a stunning three-goal counter-punch in the closing 12 minutes.
The Yellow Submarine march on to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for only the third time.
At the Allianz Stadium, the match ended up looking like the perfect European away performance from Unai Emery's men, but Rulli was the man who laid the foundation in the first half.
The visiting goalkeeper denied Alvaro Morata and Dusan Vlahovic with fine saves inside the opening 20 minutes and was then grateful to see the latter's cute shot come off the crossbar.
Rulli and Vlahovic were at it again before the interval, a point-blank stop on this occasion keeping the scores level.
The tide turned in the blink of an eye, Gerard Moreno setting Villarreal on their way when he converted - just - from the penalty spot. Pau Torres then turned in from a corner to put Villarreal's progress beyond doubt, leaving Arnaut Danjuma to add gloss with a spot-kick of his own in added time.
