Juventus fires manager Maurizio Sarri after shock defeat to Lyon in Champions League
Juventus was eliminated from the Champions League tournament, with an away goal for Lyon proving to be the difference.
In one of the biggest shocks of the Champions League in recent years, Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus were eliminated from the tournament on Friday after falling on aggregate to Lyon. The french club beat Juventus 1-0 in the first leg of the Round of 16, so a 2-1 win for Juventus in Italy wasn’t enough, as the key away goal saw Lyon move on to the quarterfinals.
No one saw this coming, and plenty of heat arrived for manager Maurizio Sarri, who looked poised to lead his men on a deep run this campaign.
Now, the veteran coach is looking for a new job. On Saturday morning, breaking reports have arrived that Juventus has indeed fired Sarri as manager following the defeat to Lyon.
Cristiano Ronaldo was looking to win the Champions League with his third club
After losing to Lyon in the first leg, Juventus figured to cruise at home in the second leg to book their trip to the quarterfinals. Plenty of folks out there assumed a showdown with Real Madrid later this month was on the way.
However, Lyon took a 1-0 lead early on during Friday’s match off a penalty kick. Juventus would go on to score two goals to take a 2-1 lead, evening up the aggregate at 2-2. But, due to Lyon’s away goal, Juventus needed one more goal to move on in the competition. It never came.
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With Ronaldo aging like a fine wine, he had dreams of bringing home yet another Champions League title after previously doing so with both Manchester United and Real Madrid. Instead, he’s been sent home packing and his manager Sarri has already been sacked.