Aston Villa vs Juventus 0-0: Goalkeepers Shine in Goalless Stalemate | OneFootball

No goals and one point each. Aston Villa and Juventus failed to hurt each other in Birmingham on Wednesday as the Bianconeri collected their second Champions League draw in a row. Tonight’s stalemate at the Villa Park leaves both sides’ chances of making it to the UCL knockout stage unchanged at the end of a game that saw goalkeepers Emiliano Martinez and Michele Di Gregorio shine.

Thiago Motta missed eight players from his Juve roster, including all proper strikers. He thus deployed Timothy Weah as center forward with Teun Koopmeiners behind him, while Francisco Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz played on the wings.

The first half offered little to the show. The match pace was low and there were only a few chances to report. Di Gregorio was the first to get to action as he punched away an Ollie Watkins conclusion, but his counterpart Dibu Martinez was equally alert and blocked Francisco Conceicao’s sharp shot at the near post. Just before the half time break, Lucas Digne hit the woodwork from a set piece.

The duel between Martinez and Conceicao continued after the restart as the Argentine goalie had to go above and beyond to parry back the Juventus winger’s header on 65 minutes. He showed he truly deserves the Yashin Trophy he just recently received. Di Gregorio was no less decisive though, and saved John McGinn’s shot with his feet to keep the score unchanged.

Juventus could breathe a sigh of relief during added time as the VAR disallowed the only goal of the night. Morgan Rogers slotted the ball into the untended net after Di Gregorio failed to block a high cross in the middle of the box, but the Bianconeri shot-stopper was fouled in the process.

Juve will next face a staggering Manchester City in two weeks time at the Allianz Stadium, followed by Club Brugge away and then Benfica at home.

REFEREE: Mr. Gil Manzano (Spain)NOTES: Yellow Cards: Bailey, Tielemans, Pau Torres (A), Kalulu, Weah, Koopmeiners (J); Added Time: 1st Half 1′, 2nd Half 3′