Juve ‘warriors’ win at Wembley
LONDON — Juventus relied on its warrior instincts, according to midfielder Blaise Matuidi, as it stunned Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 to reach the Champions League quarterfinals 4-3 on aggregate at Wembley on Wednesday.
Needing to score twice in the second half, the Italians appeared to be heading out until goals by Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala in the 64th and 67th minutes eclipsed Son Heung-min’s opener for Tottenham, ending a poor run against English clubs in two-legged European ties.
Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea had all beaten Juventus in the knockout phase of the Champions League and it lost to Fulham in the Europa League.
But Massimiliano Allegri’s side is made of sterner stuff, as it has proved by reaching two of the past three Champions League finals and now going on a 21-match unbeaten run in all competitions this season.
“We weren’t in a great position after the 2-2 at home. We knew we could score here, we did that,” said 30-year-old Frenchman Matuidi, who missed the first leg.
“We were up against a very very good team that has super players and plays good football. They finished top of their group. It was a challenge, one that we faced with heart and a warrior spirit and that made the difference.”
No one typifies that more than 36-year-old Andrea Barzagli, the burly, no-nonsense anchor of a back four boasting more than 170 Champions League appearances in total.
When Tottenham threw everything at Juve in a desperate late assault to salvage its dream, Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, Medhi Benatia and Alex Sandro stood firm and put their bodies on the line in the storm.
Barzagli believes it is their kindred spirit that will make Juve feared quarterfinal opponents.
“We can really achieve anything with this great character, we played badly for over one hour and than turned everything around with two great goals,” he said.
“We were also lucky, but I think you deserve luck when you are ready to fight and sacrifice as we did tonight.”
Chiellini said a calmness under pressure allowed Juve to reach the quarterfinal for the third time in their past five appearances in the competition.
“At halftime we told ourselves that we had to remain calm despite suffering so much because our chances would come,” he said.
“Tottenham proved to be a great team; I think it is missing very little in becoming one of the best teams in Europe, maybe some experience.
“A few years ago we were in the same place, and reaching two finals in the last three seasons helped us to better handle these kinds of games.”
Allegri, whose decision to send in Kwadwo Asamoah and Stephan Lichtsteiner on the hour mark proved a masterstroke, praised his side’s durability.
“The lads were patient to wait for the right moment to hit them,” he said. “Considering the whole 180 minutes, I think our qualification was deserved.
“In the first half we suffered a lot against a team with great quality. I decided that we needed fresh legs on the flanks, so I put Asamoah and Lichtsteiner in. I’m happy it paid off.”