Angel Di Maria hat trick sends Juventus into Europa League round of 16
Juventus easily defeated Nantes 3-0 with 10 men on the field on Thursday to advance to the round of 16 of the Europa League. Angel Di Maria scored a hat trick (4-1 on aggregate). Juventus only achieved a 1-1 draw with the French team in the first leg at home, but they were still hoping for a strong showing in the European tournament to salvage their terrible season after receiving a 15-point deduction from Serie A for financial misdeeds. Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri told Sky Sport Italy, "I am delighted with the performance; it was not an easy game after the first-leg outcome, since the fans here is very passionate. "Winning the Europa League won't be simple just because we were eliminated from the Champions League."Although it isn't, we still have a responsibility to strive and win, just as we do in Serie A. After just five minutes, Juventus took the lead thanks to an exquisite curling goal from Argentina's Di Maria that found the top corner of the net. In 18 minutes, Nantes' night took a turn for the worst as defender Nicolas Pallois was dismissed for using his arm to prevent another goal from Di Maria.
The 35-year-old World Cup champion had little trouble making the subsequent penalty kick. In the last seconds of the first half, Juventus' Filip Kostic came close to scoring a third goal, but his attempt hit the inside of the post and the rebound fell into Nantes goalkeeper Alban Lafont's hands. Late in the second half, Juve's Alex Sandro attempted a diving header, but Lafont reacted fast to stop the shot with one hand. As Di Maria put in a glancing header 12 minutes from time, the ball barely crossed the goal line before being pulled away, giving him a hat trick. Since Filippo Inzaghi in 2000, this was Juve's first hat-trick in a UEFA tournament away from home. Allegri said of him, "He is a champion and distinct from the rest.""To him, everything comes effortlessly." The squad as a whole performs at a higher level under his leadership, and everyone is more at ease around him. Di Maria belongs to the group of true champions. On Friday, the draw for the round of 16 will take place.
Related Stories
-
Sporting CP advanced to the Europa League quarterfinals after defeating Arsenal in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw at the Emirates on Thursday After a 2-2 d...
-
Gianluca Mancini s long-range goal gave AS Roma a 1-0 victory against Juventus at home in Serie A on Sunday snapping the visitors seven-game winning streak over...
-
With a 4-2 victory over Nantes at home on Saturday in Ligue 1 Kylian Mbappe cemented his place as Paris St Germain s all-time leading scorer by contributing to ...
-
Match Report With a victory over Torino today at the Allianz Stadium Juventus would be able to cut the gap to six points and secure a place in Europa The club h...
-
Juventus kept alive their tenuous chances of finishing in the top four by defeating local rivals Torino 4-2 at home on Tuesday in Serie A continuing their winni...
-
Tuesday night s Derby della Mole pits Juventus against Torino for the second time this season Bianconeri s loss of 15 points has diminished their chances of win...
