Hoarau brace beats Juve but Italians take top spot

BERN: Guillaume Hoarau scored in either half as Young Boys inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Juventus in their final Champions League group game on Wednesday in Switzerland, but the Italians still took top spot in Group H after Manchester United lost by the same scoreline to Valencia.

The Swiss champions proved too hot to handle for the Cristiano Ronaldo-led Italians whose 26-match unbeaten away run going back to November 2017 ended in freezing temperatures in Bern.

France forward Hoarau slotted in the first after half an hour from the spot at the Stade de Suisse, blasting in the second after 68 minutes to lift the spirits of his already-eliminated side who finished bottom of the group.

Paulo Dybala — who scored a hattrick in Juve’s 3-0 home win in Turin — came off the bench just after the second goal and pulled one back for Massimiliano Allegri’s side ten minutes from time and had a second disallowed in injury time.

Juventus finish top of Group H on 12 points with United on ten, Valencia on eight and Young Boys with four.

“We achieved our objective by winning the group, even on a night where everything seemed to go wrong, maybe we weren’t focused enough,” said Allegri.

“We missed so many opportunities and gifted a penalty, so at the end of the day it was only right that we lost.”

Ronaldo, the record scorer in the elite European competition with 120 goals, started the final group match despite Juventus already having secured a berth in the knock-out round as Allegri wanted to ensure his side avoided being drawn against Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain in the next round.

“Now the best part of the Champions League is coming,” said Ronaldo, who has lifted the trophy five times.

“Today we’re not happy because we wanted to win in the first half. I could have scored several goals and if I did, the result would probably have been different.

“I feel good physically. The fact of playing every match is a decision that I take together with my coach.”

But veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini was rested ahead of next weekend’s Turin derby in Serie A, as Allegri feared a potential injury on the artificial pitch in Switzerland.

“The important thing is that we won the group, even if its thanks to Valencia beating Manchester United,” said Dybala.

“The defeat hurts, because we came here looking for the win, but it should serve as a lesson for the future.”

It was the first away defeat for Juventus this season who have won seven times on the road in Serie A and twice in the Champions League.

The last away defeat dates back to November last year, a 3-2 loss to Sampdoria in the Italian league, since when Juventus have had 23 wins and three draws.

Their last Champions League away loss was in September 2017, 3-0 to Barcelona.

Allegri’s side had dropped points only in two home games this term – a 1-1 draw against Genoa in Serie A and a 2-1 defeat against United in Champions League.

Juve face city rivals Torino tomorrow, looking to extend their eight-point lead in Serie A.