JUVENTUS SEASON 2016-2017

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

  -  

 

 

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Alex Sandro to start Juve-Barca

 

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100981/alex-sandro-start-juve-barca

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Alex Sandro is expected to start at left-back as Juventus host Barcelona, but there's bad news for Neymar.

 

The Champions League quarter-final first leg kicks off in Turin at 20.45 CET - 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).

 

There had been some doubts over who would complete the defence with Dani Alves, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.

 

Kwadwo Asamoah had been the favourite this morning, but Mediaset Premium report that Alex Sandro will get the nod.

 

This means Max Allegri is fielding a totally attack-minded formation in his 4-2-3-1, as Miralem Pjanic partners Sami Khedira in midfield.

 

Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic support striker Gonzalo Higuain.

 

Barcelona need to choose between a 3-4-3 formation, which has been successfully experimented in recent outings, and the classic 4-3-3.

 

Sergio Busquets is suspended and Rafinha injured, but the only issue is between Jordi Alba and Andre Gomes.

 

Meanwhile, Neymar learned this afternoon that he has been given a three-match Liga ban for insulting the referee after his red card in the 2-0 defeat to Malaga.

 

This means he will miss El Clasico with Real Madrid.

 

 

Probable line-ups

 

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Buffon; Dani Alves, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic; Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain

 

Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Jordi Alba; Rakitic, Mascherano, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Neymar

 

Ref: Marciniak (POL)

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

  -  

 

 

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Line-ups: Juventus-Barcelona

 

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100985/line-ups-juventus-barcelona

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Juventus go all-out with their five-star formation including Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic against Barcelona’s MSN in a surprising 3-4-3.

 

The first leg of the Champions League quarter-final kicks off in Turin at 20.45 CET - 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).

 

This is the first reunion between the sides since Barça won the 2015 Champions League Final by a 3-1 scoreline.

 

The Bianconeri are targeting the Treble this season and failing to reach the semi-final would be considered a big disappointment for Max Allegri’s men.

 

He is not holding back and uses the 4-2-3-1 formation with Miralem Pjanic and Sami Khedira supporting Higuain, Dybala, Juan Cuadrado and Mandzukic.

 

There had been some doubts over Mandzukic, but he has recovered from a muscular problem to start, while Marko Pjaca is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

 

In defence it’s Dani Alves against his former club and Alex Sandro around Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, who of course meets Luis Suarez again after the infamous 2014 World Cup bite.

 

Barcelona completed the comeback of the century to reach this quarter-final, having lost 4-0 away to Paris Saint-Germain, but winning the second leg 6-1 with the last kick of the game.

 

Sergio Busquets was booked in that match and will therefore be suspended for the first leg in Turin, while Rafinha is out injured for four months.

 

With that in mind, ex-Roma Coach Luis Enrique had the option to play 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 with Andre Gomes and Jordi Alba pushing for a place.

 

The 3-4-3 proved successful in a recent 3-0 victory over Sevilla, but at the weekend Barcelona lost 2-0 at Malaga with Neymar sent off.

 

Curiously, Luis Enrique opted for the 3-4-3 with Jeremy Mathieu stepping into defence.

 

Lionel Messi, Suarez and Neymar complete the MSN trident with Andres Iniesta pulling the midfield strings.

 

The Blaugrana are yet to draw this season in the Champions League, losing 3-1 at Manchester City and 4-0 in Paris along with six wins.

 

Juventus are unbeaten at home in 21 European games (winning 12) and currently on an all-time record of 32 consecutive Serie A home victories.

 

At least 2,300 Barcelona fans will be at the Juventus Stadium this evening.

 

Neymar, Gerard Pique and Ivan Rakitic are one booking away from suspension, while the only Juve man at risk for the second leg is Cuadrado.

 

These sides have met seven times before with three Catalan victories, two draws and two Juve wins.

 

 

Juventus: Buffon; Dani Alves, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic; Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain

Juventus bench: Neto, Marchisio, Barzagli, Lemina, Asamoah, Lichtsteiner, Rincon

 

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Pique, Umtiti, Mathieu; Mascherano, Rakitic, Iniesta, Messi; Sergi Roberto, Suarez, Neymar

Barcelona bench: Cillessen, Denis, Alcacer, Jordi Alba, Digne, Andre Gomes, Alena

 

Ref: Marciniak (POL)

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

  -  

 

 

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Marotta: 'Juve-Barca on same level'

 

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100986/marotta-juve-barca-same-level

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Director Beppe Marotta insists Juventus are “on the same level as Barcelona and it’s not a David v Goliath situation. Both sides respect and fear each other.”

 

“These are the games that leave memories that cannot be compared for the fans, players and everyone at the club,” Marotta told Mediaset Premium.

 

“Putting that emotion aside, we know that we can play an open game against a strong side.

 

“We know Barcelona’s characteristics are to always be very attacking. That doesn’t mean we are in a David v Goliath situation, as rather it’s a challenge between two very strong sides who quite rightly respect and fear each other

 

“The Andrea Agnelli era began quietly, but our revenue has practically doubled and the sporting achievements grown too. We are on the top level and on a par with the best clubs, including Barcelona.

 

“We are on the same level as Barcelona on the field, but still have some way to go to match them in financial terms.”

 

How much has the situation changed since the 2015 Champions League Final saw Barcelona beat Juventus 3-1?

 

“I don’t feel Barcelona’s worth has reduced since 2015, even if their players are largely unchanged and therefore are two years older.

 

“What’s really changes is Juventus, who have new additions, different choices and a stronger mentality that allows us to challenge at a higher level than two years ago.

 

“This 4-2-3-1 was not the main formation to start the season, but we signed some eclectic players for this reason, including Miralem Pjanic. It’s a very attack-minded system and that is an important approach to take in Europe.”

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

  -  

 

 

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

HT 2-0: Dybala dominates Barcelona

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100988/ht-dybala-dominates-barcelona

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Paulo Dybala bagged a brace of left-foot stunners in the opening 22 minutes, as an aggressive Juventus lead Barcelona 2-0 at half-time.

 

These sides met again after the 2015 Champions League Final, which ended 3-1 for the Blaugrana. The Bianconeri missed Marko Pjaca, but had Mario Mandzukic back from a muscular injury and wanted to keep their 21-game unbeaten European home record going. Sergio Busquets was suspended and Rafinha ruled out, but Barça only reached the quarter-finals thanks to a last-gasp 6-1 win over PSG, cancelling out the 4-0 first leg defeat. Luis Enrique opted for the 3-4-3 with Jeremy Mathieu a surprise starter.

 

This was the first time Giorgio Chiellini (who missed the 2015 Final) had faced Luis Suarez since the Uruguayan bit his shoulder in the 2014 World Cup.

 

It was a very aggressive start from the hosts, as after three minutes Gonzalo Higuain’s header from a Miralem Pjanic free kick was spilled by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

 

The deadlock was broken with a fine move, as Juan Cuadrado in acres of space down the right pulled back for Dybala, who spun on the spot to curl into the far bottom corner with his left foot in one sweeping move.

 

However, Barcelona then settled in to possession football and Lionel Messi threaded through to send Andres Iniesta clear, but Gigi Buffon stood tall and managed to fingertip the finish round the base of the far post.

 

It proved a pivotal moment, as a minute later Mario Mandzukic pulled back from the left for Dybala to smash home from just inside the box at the near bottom corner, surprising Ter-Stegen with another left-foot finish.

 

Barcelona had the ball in the net on the half-hour, but only after Messi had strayed offside, as their possession was largely ineffective.

 

Pjanic blasted over from another good Cuadrado assist and a glancing Luis Suarez header deflected off Giorgio Chiellini for a corner.

 

Gonzalo Higuain’s half-volley on an Alex Sandro assist was beaten away by Ter-Stegen just beyond Dybala, as Mathieu put it out for a corner.

 

 

Juventus 2-0 Barcelona (Half-Time)

Dybala 7, 22 (J)

 

Juventus: Buffon; Dani Alves, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic; Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain

 

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Pique, Umtiti, Mathieu; Mascherano, Rakitic, Iniesta, Messi; Sergi Roberto, Suarez, Neymar

 

Ref: Marciniak (POL)

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Juventus 3 Barcelona 0: Dybala makes claim

to Messi's throne as Barca fold again

 

Paulo Dybala's brilliant first-half brace and Giorgio Chiellini's

second-half header gave Juventus a 3-0 win over Barcelona.

 

 

http://www.goal.com/en/match/juventus-vs-barcelona/2428330/report

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Lionel Messi was outshone by Paulo Dybala as his compatriot produced two sublime finishes to give Juventus a commanding 3-0 advantage over Barcelona in their Champions League quarter-final.

 

Dybala has been keen to play down talk of him being Messi's heir apparent for the Argentina national team, but twirling a wand of a left foot to fine effect on such occasions makes comparisons irresistible.

 

Having completed a seemingly impossible comeback by overturning a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round, Luis Enrique's side now arguably face a tougher task.

 

It is scarcely credible to imagine Massimilino Allegri's streetwise Juventus defence, marshalled superbly by Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini – who scored the third 10 minutes after half-time – folding as the Ligue 1 champions did in the Camp Nou cauldron.

 

Outgoing Barca boss Luis Enrique once again deployed the hybrid 3-4-3 he fielded to see off PSG but the result was a disorganised rabble that was picked apart by Serie A's dominant force.

 

The visitors were relieved to see Gonzalo Higuain plant his second-minute header from Miralem Pjanic's s free-kick straight at Marc-Andre ter Stegen, although another Argentinian proved more clinical five minutes later.

 

Jeremy Mathieu – a surprise selection on the left-hand side of defence – allowed Juan Cuadrado into the box and Dybala collected the pass to turn and finish on the angle with almost nonchalant cool.

 

 

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Barcelona were struggling for fluency but a moment of Messi magic almost helped them to level in the 21st minute.

 

Messi slid a delightful pass through to disarm the Juventus defence and pick out Andres Iniesta's run but Gianluigi Buffon's reaction save to his left was magnificent and soon had added value.

 

The visitors granted Dybala more room in the area than was wise and the 23-year-old crisply swept Mario Mandzukic's cut-back past Ter Stegen into the bottom-left corner, with Gerard Pique partially blocking his goalkeeper's view.

 

Barca's woes were compounded when Messi thought he had reduced the deficit, only to be denied by offside after hustling Sami Khedira out of possession.

 

Luis Suarez was off target with a couple of headers but Juventus almost had another before the break – Higuain's volley from the edge of the box bouncing awkwardly for Ter Stegen and Mathieu swiping the rebound behind.

 

The Frenchman's most productive contribution was his last, as midfielder Andre Gomes came on at the break.

 

Juventus centre-back Bonucci halted Neymar – hit with a three-game domestic ban in the build-up that will rule him out of the Clasico against Real Madrid later this month – with an impeccable slide tackle early in the second period and Messi side-footed the loose ball wide from the edge of the box as Pjanic snapped at his heels.

 

Iniesta then clattered over as Barca appeared more at home in their tried and tested 4-3-3, though Ter Stegen held well down to his left as the space between midfield and attack remained for Cuadrado to exploit.

 

Dybala was screaming for a pass to complete his hat-trick when Higuain sprung the offside trap to blast at the Barcelona goalkeeper in the 54th minute.

 

A third Juventus goal suddenly felt on the cards and Chiellini obliged, outmuscling Javier Mascherano to guide Pjanic's left-wing corner in via the inside of the near post.

 

As the fog of another debilitating defeat became thicker, Messi remained one of the few in red and blue to retain a clear head and his excellent 68th-minute pass deserved better than Suarez prodding wide.

 

Chiellini flung himself towards Neymar and was fortunate to escape punishment when the Brazilian's shot spun up to his outstretched arm, while a late Barcelona rally amounted to nothing.

 

After Saturday's shock 2-0 loss at Malaga left their LaLiga title defence in tatters, there was a worrying familiarity in Luis Enrique's side being outgunned by high-class opponents. This time, surely, there can be no way back.

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Juventus 3-0 Barcelona: Paulo Dybala doubles

gives Italian giants quarter-final advantage

 

Paulo Dybala's double inspired Juventus to a 3-0 win over Barcelona in the first leg of their quarter-final on

Tuesday night, leaving the Catalan giants needing another miracle comeback in the Champions League.

 

 

http://www.skysports.com/football/juventus-vs-barcelona/370345

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Luis Enrique's side made history by overturning a 4-0 deficit to knock PSG out 6-1 in the last round of the competition, but they will have to perform a similar feat at the Nou Camp next Wednesday after a dismal night in Turin.

 

Dybala got the ball rolling with an impressive first-half brace, and Giorgio Chiellini added a third with a header after the break for Juventus in the first meeting between the sides since Barcelona's win in the 2015 Champions League final.

Juventus' forward Dybala scored twice in the Champions League tie

Juventus started on top and it took just seven minutes for Dybala to find the opener, receiving a pass in the box from Juan Cuadrado before turning and curling a fine effort into the bottom corner.

Barcelona composed themselves as they started to dominate possession, and after 21 minutes they had a glorious opportunity to equalise through Andres Iniesta, who made an intelligent run in behind Juventus' defence to receive a pass from Lionel Messi, but saw his effort kept out by Gianluigi Buffon.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi reacts during the Champions League quarter-final first leg

And Juventus would make Barcelona pay for that miss, as they doubled their lead just a minute later. Again it was Dybala who beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen, curling the ball just inside the near post from the edge of the area after being picked out by Mario Mandzukic.

Barcelona did have the ball in the back of the net in the first half, only to be denied by the offside flag. Messi robbed the ball off Sami Khedira deep in Juventus territory before playing a one-two with Luis Suarez and going on to score, but the Uruguayan striker was ahead of play and the goal was correctly ruled out.

Chiellini celebrates making it 3-0 for Juventus

The Spanish giants continued to dominate possession at the start of the second half, with Messi and Iniesta both going close, but after 55 minutes Juventus made it 3-0. Gonzalo Higuain blew a glorious opportunity when through on goal to score but, from the resulting corner, Chiellini wrestled away Javier Mascherano at the far post before nodding home.

Barcelona continued to probe for a way back into the game, but there was no way through the experienced Juventus back line, who saw the game out in relative comfort.

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

CL: Juventus school Barcelona

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100989/cl-juventus-school-barcelona

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Paulo Dybala bagged a brace of left-foot stunners and Giorgio Chiellini completed the 3-0 Juventus rout of Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-final.

 

The second leg is at Camp Nou on April 19 and nothing can be taken for granted.

 

These sides met again after the 2015 Champions League Final, which ended 3-1 for the Blaugrana. The Bianconeri missed Marko Pjaca, but had Mario Mandzukic back from a muscular injury and wanted to keep their 21-game unbeaten European home record going. Sergio Busquets was suspended and Rafinha ruled out, but Barça only reached the quarter-finals thanks to a last-gasp 6-1 win over PSG, cancelling out the 4-0 first leg defeat. Luis Enrique opted for the 3-4-3 with Jeremy Mathieu a surprise starter.

 

This was the first time Giorgio Chiellini (who missed the 2015 Final) had faced Luis Suarez since the Uruguayan bit his shoulder in the 2014 World Cup.

 

It was a very aggressive start from the hosts, as after three minutes Gonzalo Higuain’s header from a Miralem Pjanic free kick was spilled by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

 

The deadlock was broken with a fine move, as Juan Cuadrado in acres of space down the right pulled back for Dybala, who spun on the spot to curl into the far bottom corner with his left foot in one sweeping move.

 

However, Barcelona then settled in to possession football and Lionel Messi threaded through to send Andres Iniesta clear, but Gigi Buffon stood tall and managed to fingertip the finish round the base of the far post.

 

It proved a pivotal moment, as a minute later Mario Mandzukic pulled back from the left for Dybala to smash home from just inside the box at the near bottom corner, surprising Ter-Stegen with another left-foot finish.

 

Barcelona had the ball in the net on the half-hour, but only after Messi had strayed offside, as their possession was largely ineffective.

 

Pjanic blasted over from another good Cuadrado assist and a glancing Luis Suarez header deflected off Giorgio Chiellini for a corner.

 

Gonzalo Higuain’s half-volley on an Alex Sandro assist was beaten away by Ter-Stegen just beyond Dybala, as Mathieu put it out for a corner.

 

Lucho Enriquez transformed his team for the second half, introducing Andre Gomes for Mathieu, moving Javier Mascherano into a four-man defence and Samuel Umtiti at left-back.

 

Messi drilled just wide after Leonardo Bonucci intercepted his pass for Neymar, then Sami Khedira fired over and Buffon was quick off his line to smother at Suarez’s feet.

 

Iniesta blasted over after Mandzukic got back to defend a Neymar cross-shot, but Higuain wasted two great chances in as many minutes.

 

First his finish was weak from the edge of the box, then he sprung the offside trap and fired straight at Ter-Stegen at the near post.

 

However, Juve added a third when Javier Mascherano tried and failed to drag Giorgio Chiellini back on a corner, as he still got his header in off the inside of the far post. It was the defender’s first Champions League goal since October 2009.

 

Buffon fingertipped a Suarez angled drive inches past the far post and a shot was charged down by Chiellini’s hand, but the penalty was not given. It’s not clear if the ball ricocheted off his chest first, in which case it would be involuntary.

 

Cuadrado had the ball in the net after Khedira was incorrectly flagged offside, but Messi’s cross only skimmed the head of Samuel Umtiti when he was unmarked from a couple of yards out.

 

A dangerous Messi free kick bounced off the wall and Chiellini toe-poked the rebound off Suarez’s foot.

 

 

Juventus 3-0 Barcelona

Dybala 7, 22 (J), Chiellini 55 (J)

 

Juventus: Buffon; Dani Alves, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic (Barzagli 89); Cuadrado (Lemina 73), Dybala (Rincon 81), Mandzukic; Higuain

 

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Pique, Umtiti, Mathieu; Mascherano, Rakitic, Iniesta, Messi; Sergi Roberto, Suarez, Neymar

 

Ref: Marciniak (POL)

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Paulo Dybala hits brace in Juventus win

 

 

http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/barcelona/champions-league/

result/result-paulo-dybala-hits-brace-in-juventus-win_295834.html

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Paulo Dybala scored twice as Juventus recorded a 3-0 win over Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Turin on Tuesday night.

Dybala netted twice in the first 45 minutes of action, before Giorgio Chiellini added a third early in the second period as the Italian champions secured a three-goal advantage ahead of the return match at Camp Nou.

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri was able to select Mario Mandzukic after the Croatian overcame a knee problem, while Leonardo Bonucci, Chiellini, Miralem Pjanic and Dani Alves were all recalled following the club's Serie A clash with Chievo at the weekend.

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, meanwhile, selected Jeremy Mathieu as part of a three-man defence in Turin, while Javier Mascherano was the player to take the role of Sergio Busquets, who missed out through suspension.

Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez were all present in the away side's XI, however, as the Spanish champions looked to secure a positive result ahead of the return match at Camp Nou.

Juventus should have taken the lead in the third minute when Gonzalo Higuain met an super free kick from Pjanic, but the Argentine's header was straight into the grateful arms of Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The early pressure from the Italian champions was relentless, however, and they made the breakthrough in the seventh minute of action when a cute pass from Juan Cuadrado found Dybala, who fired the ball into the bottom corner with a super finish.

Barcelona did not have a sight of the Juventus goal until the 12th minute when Messi lined up a free kick in a dangerous position, but the Argentine's effort flew harmlessly over the Italian side's crossbar.

Andres Iniesta had the away side's first clear attempt of the night in the 21st minute after breaking into the Juventus box, but Gianluigi Buffon was on hand to make a wonderful save as the home side kept their one-goal lead in tact.

Less than two minutes after Buffon made that excellent stop, Juventus doubled their lead as Dybala found the bottom corner with an inch-perfect finish after Manduzkic had picked out his teammate from a wide position.

Messi had the ball in the back of the Juventus net in the 30th minute after smart work from Luis Suarez, but the goal was disallowed for offside as Barcelona had to endure more frustration at the Juventus Stadium.

Juventus went in search of their third goal in the latter stages of the first period and came close through Pjanic and Higuain, but Barcelona managed to avoid falling further behind as the Spanish champions were left with much to ponder ahead of the second 45 minutes.

Barcelona boss Enrique introduced Andre Gomes in place of Mathieu at the interval, which meant a change of formation for the Catalan giants as they looked to find a route back into the first leg in Turin.

Messi had a golden chance to halve the deficit in the 47th minute after meeting a loose ball on the edge of the Juventus box, but the Argentine sent his low effort wide, before Khedira curled one over the crossbar down the other end.

Neymar sent one over the Juventus crossbar in the 51st minute as Barcelona started to go through the gears, before Iniesta missed the target from a central position during a difficult period for the Italian champions.

Higuain had a wonderful chance to send the home side 3-0 ahead in the 54th minute after finding all sorts of space inside the Barcelona box, but the Argentine could not beat Ter Stegen from close range.

Juventus were purring though and the Italians scored their third in the 55th minute when Chiellini rose above Mascherano inside the Barcelona box to head a corner from Pjanic into the bottom corner via the post.

Luis Suarez had a golden chance to register for Barcelona in the 68th minute after being released by Messi inside the Juventus box, but the striker's low effort was deflected wide of the far post.

Cuadrado had the ball in the back of the away side's net 20 minutes from time following another poor piece of defending from Barcelona, but the offside flag was raised in what proved to be an incorrect decision.

Samuel Umtiti came close to meeting a brilliant cross from Messi 10 minutes from time as Barcelona turned the screw, but the centre-back just failed to make contact as the score remained 3-0 entering the final stages at the Juventus Stadium.

The pressure from the Spanish champions continued into the final five minutes and beyond, but Juventus held strong as the Italian champions put one foot in the semi-finals ahead of the return match at Camp Nou next week.

 

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Paulo Dybala helps Juventus wrap

up confident 3-0 win vs. Barcelona

 

 

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/blog/the-match/60/post/3100919/juventus-complete

-easy-champions-league-quarterfinal-first-leg-win-vs-barcelona-as-paulo-dybala-excels

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

 

TURIN, Italy -- Three thoughts from Juventus Stadium as Juventus wrapped up a confident, comfortable 3-0 win over Barcelona in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg:

1. Juventus leave Barca needing another miracle

Just one round after they did it the first time, another "Miracle of Camp Nou" will be required from Barcelona if they're to reach the Champions League semifinals. And surely Juventus, so resilient here and so dangerous in attack, will not fold as Paris Saint-Germain did in the last 16. Barcelona's deficit is only 3-0, but Italy's serial champions, with Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini in central defence ahead of Gianluigi Buffon in goal, should not fold as PSG did.

Manager Massimiliano Allegri's supreme trust of those world-class defenders allowed him to field five attack-minded players to pick at the glaring holes in Barcelona's midfield and defence. Two goals from Paulo Dybala and one from Chiellini were each exposure of the visitors' fallibility at the back.

Dybala has been at pains to renounce the title of "the new Lionel Messi," but a pirouette and bending finish to score Juve's opener in the seventh minute was seemingly plucked right from his Argentine compatriot's playbook. Barcelona were statuesque in their defending, but the 23-year-old was razor-sharp in his execution.

His second goal 15 minutes later was even more impressive. After Mario Mandzukic cut the ball back from the left flank, Dybala's finish was thunderous and Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen could get only a hand to it. It came just seconds after Andres Iniesta had blown a golden chance, screwing his shot wide of the post when Messi had cut open Juve's defence. Dybala's magic wand of a left foot is another facet to remind of Messi.

Ahead of Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain (bulkier than in his Real Madrid days) used his strength and power to hold the ball up and harry Barcelona's defenders whenever possible. Jeremy Mathieu was a weak point in Barca's first-half three-man defence as Dybala pressed him time and again.

In Juve's midfield, Miralem Pjanic might be Europe's finest dead-ball proponent these days, and Higuain should have done better than head the ball straight at Ter Stegen from Pjanic's third-minute free-kick cross. Higuain's ability to conjure chances from seemingly lost causes was clear in a dipping shot in the final minute of the first half that Ter Stegen could only parry, almost palming it into Dybala's path.

Mathieu was put out of his misery at half-time when replaced by Andre Gomes as manager Luis Enrique shifted Barcelona's formation around to little avail. From a Pjanic corner, Chiellini outjumped and outmuscled Javier Mascherano to score the hosts' third. His emphatic header flew into the bottom right-hand corner of Barcelona's goal, where nobody was on the back post to clear it.

Three goals ahead,and with an away goal to be kept at bay, Juventus retreated into a defensive shell, showing Barcelona how to clear their lines -- though sometimes by the narrowest of margins -- with Messi's continuing genius creating chances to require some last-ditch stuff.

Two goals from Paulo Dybala put Juventus on course for a commandeering 3-0 win vs. Barcelona.

2. Messi struggles alone against Juve's rearguard

It was a frustrating night for Barca's star. Lionel Messi often dropped very deep in search of the ball, as he often does these days, given that space around goal was being squeezed by Juventus' defence and Sami Khedira's energy in front of them. To get through, Messi either had to slalom through the massed ranks or pick a pass. He attempted both all night. The ball that found Iniesta for that crucial miss before Dybala's second was sublime and had the stadium sighing, only for Barca's captain to waste it and let the home fans breathe again.

Messi had the ball in the net on the half-hour only for Luis Suarez to be penalised for fouling Khedira. At that point, all of Barcelona's play was going through Messi with Suarez and Neymar marginalised, as they remained for much of the night. Meanwhile, Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic were being forced to battle for the ball in midfield.

Two months shy of his 30th birthday, Messi can no longer sustain the perpetual motion of his younger days; he must play in fits and starts, conserving his energy when possible. And he himself was guilty of missing a good chance seconds after half-time, dragging a shot wide after Neymar had been robbed on the edge of the area.

Yet one area in which Messi could not help his team was in defence, where far too many chances were being conceded for him to be able to mount a credible rescue.

Messi and Neymar struggled to crack Juve's determined defending on a disappointing night.

3. Luis Enrique's tactical gamble fails

The damage was definitely done for Barcelona, and perhaps the two-legged tie already lost, by the supreme disorganisation with which they began the night. With Sergio Busquets suspended, Luis Enrique shifted Mascherano forward into defensive midfield, where he was so outstanding for Argentina in the last World Cup. Gomes, blamed widely for Barca's 2-0 defeat to Malaga at the weekend, was sheltered until half-time called for a serious rethink.

Dropping left-back Jordi Alba in order to play Jeremy Mathieu as a third centre-back was a throwback to the formation Luis Enrique adopted when throwing caution to the wind in the second leg against PSG. This, though, was a very different situation and very different opponent. Gerard Pique and Mathieu, both uncomfortable as the flanking pair of the trio, were found wanting when Dybala scored his early double.

It was not until the 11th minute, and already 1-0 down, that Barcelona could put together a run of passes in their usual style, including goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon making a glorious fingertip save from Suarez after a Messi pass of supreme quality. Juventus were themselves sitting back, content to hold their own shape as they looked for opportunities on the counter. Such chances would come all night as Barcelona's defending offered plenty of gaps to exploit.

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

PAULO DYBALA PUSHES JUVENTUS TO 1ST-LEG

WIN VS. BARCELONA IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

 

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2703071-paulo-dybala-pushes-

juventus-to-1st-leg-win-vs-barcelona-in-champions-league

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

 

Paulo Dybala netted twice as Juventus took control of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie against Barcelona with a 3-0 first-leg win at the Juventus Stadium on Tuesday.

The hosts dominated from the off and were 2-0 ahead in the first 22 minutes thanks to left-footed strikes from Dybala.

A brilliant header from Giorgio Chiellini made it 3-0 early in the second half, and although Barca dominated possession and sporadically looked dangerous going forward, they were second best throughout and could not find an away goal.

Barcelona will now need a comeback performance to match the one they produced against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 if they are to make the final four after the second leg at the Camp Nou on April 19. 

 

Squawka provided both lineups ahead of kick-off:

11 Apr

Squawka News 

 

✔ @SquawkaNews

Barcelona XI vs. Juventus: Ter Stegen; Pique, Umtiti, Mathieu; Roberto, Mascherano, Rakitic; Iniesta; Messi, Neymar, Suarez.

 

 Obserwuj

Squawka News 

 

✔@SquawkaNews

Juventus XI vs. Barcelona: Buffon; Alves, Bonucci, Chiellini, Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic; Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain.

19:41 - 11 Apr 2017

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Juventus started with obvious intent, barely allowing Barca into their half in the opening exchanges.

Gonzalo Higuain arguably should have put Juve a goal up in the third minute, but he could only aim his header from Miralem Pjanic's free-kick straight at Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Four minutes later Dybala did put the hosts ahead.

He received the ball in the box from Juan Cuadrado, turned brilliantly and curled home a left-footed finish.

Per the Times' Martyn Ziegler, while it was a fine strike from the Argentina international, Barcelona were culpable for some lax defending:

 

 Follow

Martyn Ziegler 

 

✔@martynziegler

Almost unbelievably bad marking by Barca- good finish by Dybala but so much time

9:02 PM - 11 Apr 2017

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   11 Retweet
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   55 likes

 

 

Having been completely dominated early on, Barca started to come into the game after going 1-0 down. Only a brilliant Gianluigi Buffon save denied Andres Iniesta levelling from close range after a pinpoint Lionel Messi ball in the 22nd minute.

But from the Old Lady's subsequent attack, Dybala made it 2-0, per Italian football writer Paolo Bandini:

 

 Follow

Paolo Bandini 

 

✔@Paolo_Bandini

From Buffon's save to Dybala's finish in a matter of moments. The old and the new in this Juve. It all works.

9:08 PM - 11 Apr 2017

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BT Sport Football provided footage of the goal as the 23-year-old striker swept home from the edge of the box, Barca again at fault for allowing him far too much space:

 

 

 Follow

BT Sport Football 

 

✔@btsportfootball

What a strike!

Dybala has now scored six #UCL goals for Juventus.

100% of them have come with his left foot.

9:09 PM - 11 Apr 2017

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On the half hour, Lionel Messi put the ball in the net after robbing the ball from Sami Khedira and exchanging passes with Luis Suarez, but it was correctly ruled out for offside. 

 

Barca dominated the early proceedings of the second half as they looked to get back in the tie, and Juve looked happy to let the visitors come at them.

Messi and Iniesta both saw chances go begging in the eight minutes after the break, but further decent opportunities for Higuain proved Barcelona were still vulnerable at the back.

Chiellini's goal in the 55th minute came after Juve's first spell of pressure in the second half and was a bullet header from a corner that rolled home off the inside of the post.

Per Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl, the veteran Italian defender did very well to shake off an over-eager Javier Mascherano to deal potentially the killer blow in the tie:

 

 Follow

Grant Wahl 

 

✔@GrantWahl

Chiellini, being arm-tackled by Mascherano, somehow delivers a killer header to put Juventus up 3-0 on Barcelona.

9:58 PM - 11 Apr 2017

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Unsurprisingly, Juventus then sat back to protect their lead, and Barca had their chances in the final 35 minutes, with Suarez and Neymar both going close.

There was some tension from the home crowd as Barcelona pushed forward late on, but in the end Juve saw out the victory fairly comfortably and took a huge step towards the semi-finals.

 

Post-Match Reaction

Despite Juve's convincing win Pjanic insisted afterwards that the tie is far from over, citing Barca's recent heroics against PSG, per BT Sport (via BBC Sport's Gary Rose):

Of course we are very happy but it is not finished yet. We know what they did against Paris and we have to not do that.

We will see in the second game. The team in this first game played very well but we have to be careful. Barcelona have great players and we have to play the same game—try and score a goal. It is not finished, this is just the first half.

 

Barca manager Luis Enrique, meanwhile, bemoaned his side's lack of fortune and described the match as a "nightmare," per Rose: "On nightmare days like this one we have not had that touch of luck to get us back into the tie."

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Now it's official: Messi-like

Dybala is a global superstar

 

 

The Juventus ace dislikes the comparisons with his fellow Argentine but he

announced himself as a truly special talent with a double against Barcelona.

 

 

http://www.goal.com/en/news/8/main/2017/04/11/34524522/-

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

"It's time!" read the mosaic unveiled just before kick-off in Turin. Time for one of the most eagerly-awaited encounters in Juventus' history. Time for revenge over the side that had beaten them in the Champions League final in Berlin just two years previously.

 

However, it was also time for Paulo Dybala to announce himself as the game's next global superstar, a player capable of rivalling Neymar for Ballon d'Or honours for years to come. Dybala did just that. He wasn’t just good. He was decisive, netting the opening two goals in a remarkable 3-0 win for the home side.

 

The Argentine has been known as 'La Joya' (The Jewel) since he first broke into the Instituto team as a teenager and his precious talent has never gone unrecognised in Italy.

 

When he arrived in Sicily in 2012, then Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini announced the signing of "The new Sergio Aguero". As Dybala developed, though, Zamparini concluded that his prodigiously gifted attacker was even better than that: "He's the new Leo Messi!"

 

Few people pay Zamparini much heed. His words are worth about as much as the contracts he used to give his coaches. However, Juve were in no doubt that Dybala was, indeed, something special, which is why they were willing to agree to pay Palermo €32 million for the forward, with a further €8m to follow in add-ons and performance-related bonuses.

 

Manchester United had been in the running but were unwilling to pay what looked to them like an exorbitant fee for a 21-year-old with arguably only one good Serie A season behind him. As was the case with Paul Pogba, United's loss proved Juve's considerable gain.

 

Dybala has proven a revelation in Turin, becoming an integral member of their starting line-up far quicker than anyone anticipated, including coach Massimiliano Allegri.

 

Last season, he dragged Juventus back into the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Bayern Munich by netting in their 2-2 draw in Turin. He missed the return leg through injury and the Bianconeri bowed out, denying him the opportunity to really stamp his mark on the game's grandest stage.

 

There were flashes of his explosive brilliance in this season's group stage but after a couple of subdued showings in the last-16 defeat of Porto (even if he did convert a penalty in the second leg), it was felt that Dybala needed to justify the hype in the quarter-final showdown with Barcelona. He had, after all, scored just three goals in 13 previous appearances in the Champions League.

 

It was clearly time for Dybala to show the watching world just why he has been so often compared to Messi. He didn't hang about. After less than seven minutes of play, Dybala received a pass from Juan Cuadrado inside the Barca penalty area before swivelling and shooting in one seamless movement to leave Marc-Andre ter Stegen with no chance.

 

 

Then, just moments after Andres Iniesta had failed to give Lionel Messi's perfect through-ball the finish it deserved, denied by an excellent reaction save by Gianluigi Buffon, Dybala struck again.

 

One could argue that Ter Stegen should not have conceded at his near post but the German was beaten by the pace of Dybala’s low whipped strike from the edge of the area.

 

Giorgio Chiellini made it 3-0 shortly before the hour, adding another interesting subplot to the remarkable story unfolding in Turin, with the defender not only outperforming but outscoring Luis Suarez, the striker who had infamously bit him at the 2014 World Cup.

 

The headlines, though, will be deservedly dominated by Dybala, who netted for the seventh home game in a row in all competitions.

 

The victory also meant that Juventus maintained their record of winning every game in which Dybala has scored this season (12). Instituto's gem has also become the Old Lady's lucky charm.

 

"Dybala has grown exponentially over the last two years," captain Gianluigi Buffon told Mediaset Premium at full time. "When I talk to directors or friends in football, I’ve been saying for a while that he is good enough to be in the top five players in the world and wouldn’t be out of place in the top three.

 

“Having said that, he needs to prove it every time and with regularity, to show he is worthy of our expectations of him.”

 

Dybala had done his best before the game to play down comparisons with his compatriot: “There is only one Messi. People need to understand that I am Paulo Dybala and I want to continue to be Paulo Dybala.”

 

The comparisons with Messi are only set to continue after a night like this but Dybala has, at least, also just taken a huge step towards establishing himself as a great player in his own right. It was time.

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Juventus 3 - Barcelona 0: Initial

reaction and random observations

 

 

http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2017/4/11/15262310/juventus-barcelona

-2017-champions-league-quarterfinals-leg-1-final-score-result-initial-reaction

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

As I rolled out of bed on a gloomy mid-April morning here in California, it was pretty easy to figure out my first thought was a Juventus-related thought. What was it, you ask? Well here it is: “You know, this Barcelona team is capable of getting got.”

Juventus proved that to be true.

Behind an absolutely brilliant first-half brace off the left foot of Paulo Dybala, Juventus certainly get Barcelona on Tuesday night in Turin. The Spanish giants and their star-studded attack couldn’t muster anything past Juve’s defense, with a couple of massive Gigi Buffon saves locking up the clean sheet in a 3-0 win at Juventus Stadium in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal matchup.

The #ItsTime social media campaign that ran over the last three day was right on point. It was time for Juventus to rise to the occasion against one of the best teams this here planet has to offer. And you know what? Juventus proved they belong to be in that conversation, too, because they played an absolutely fantastic game of football.

And so much of it had to do with the efforts of Dybala.

We talk about how he has the world-class potential and can lead Juventus to amazing heights. Well, he did just that on Tuesday night. It was all set up as the battle between Dybala and the man people are comparing him to, Leo Messi. There was one Argentinian striker shining bright on Tuesday night — and it wasn’t Messi.

Dybala lived up to his nickname. Dybala led the way with two glorious shots off that wonderful left foot of his. It was a Dybala game for all Dybala games, the kind of two-strike flash of lighting that we have seen so many times before since he became a Juventus player in the summer of 2015.

And that Buffon save right before Juve went up 2-0 ... woo boy that was beautiful.

A lot of things were beautiful against Barcelona. That’s what happens when you talk the big talk about doing big things in the Champions League and then deliver the goods to back things up. Yes, the job isn’t done. There’s still 90 minutes to play in this quarterfinal and it’s at one of the most intimidating stadiums in the world. But Juventus couldn’t have gone into the second leg in any better shape than they are right now. (And, no, a 10-0 lead after the first leg was never going to happen. Nope, not even against Barcelona’s defense.)

What a night.

RANDOM THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS

• I like Paulo Dybala.
• I really like Paulo Dybala.
• Holy crap Paulo Dybala is amazing. I love him.
• PAULO DYBALA PLEASE NEVER LEAVE WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH.
• Marking Giorgio Chiellini with Javier Mascherano on corner kicks. I laughed.
• You know who is also quite good? Alex Sandro is quite good. It’s hard to believe with the way he played against Barcelona that there was any kind of doubt that he was going to start. Like I said in the match preview, Allegri opened that can of worms and made the left back discussion a thing. But there’s no doubting who Juve’s No. 1 left back is. And there’s no doubting who should play there in every single European game Juventus plays in for the next decade.
• Gonzalo Higuain entered Tuesday night’s game with four goals in his last two appearances. With the scoring chances he had you would have thought that another brace was going to come his way. It wasn’t the best of Higuain games, but seeing him get the scoring chances that he had makes you think he’s going to score those more often than not. But there will be those who will bring out the “Higuain isn’t good in big games” kind of narrative that we’ve seen before. Meh, whatever.
• Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci were damn good. So damn good.
• Then again, what Juventus player that was in the starting lienup didn’t play well against Barcelona? Let’s be real here. It was a great game.
• Messi got in a shoving match with Mario Mandzukic for a hot second. Memo to Leo: That’s probably the last guy on the Juventus roster that you want to get into one of those scuffles with. My money’s on Mr. No Good every single time.
• Dani Alves is undefeated against his former teams in the Champions League this season. Does he have any former teams that he can play left in the competition? This formula seems to be working out pretty well so far.
• And I know i’ve been quite tough on Alves this season, but he was great against his former team. All the hugs with his former teammates in the tunnel before the game was replaced by Alves playing damn well. More of that, please.
• Juventus had 31.9 percent possession. They won 3-0. This game keeps getting better and better as time goes on.
• It’s okay, Luis Enrique probably remembers these kinds of Juventus games from his days at Roma. I’m just sayin’, people.
• Max Allegri >>>>>>> Luis Enrique
• Seriously, Max owned this game. He played it perfectly — both in the build-up where he set things up for this game and tactically when playing Barcelona. The guy is proving once again to be one of the best there is in the business. Give him a raise.
• Two world-class saves. A clean sheet against the best attack in the world. Bravo to you, Mr. Buffon. And for the record, Messi still hasn’t scored a goal against you, too.
• I liked that game. I liked that game a lot.

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Dybala: 'Wanted this since childhood'

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100990/dybala-wanted-childhood

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Paulo Dybala “wanted to live these moments” since childhood after his brace in the 3-0 win over Barcelona, but warned it’s not done for Juventus.

 

La Joya bagged two left-foot strikes in the opening 22 minutes before Giorgio Chiellini added a second half header in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.

 

We made the most of the chances we had and it’s a positive result for what we’ll face at Camp Nou,” Dybala told Mediaset Premium.

 

“I am very happy. Very happy because as a child I wanted to live these moments and today I managed it. We are all in a very positive moment with a lot of confidence and that’s important to go forward and achieve our objectives.”

 

Barcelona lost the first leg 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain and still turned that around with a 6-1 home victory in the Round of 16.

 

“We certainly cannot rest on our laurels. We know that we need a positive result in the second leg and keep a clean sheet, because it’s tough out there, tough – we all saw it.

 

“But we are a great team and can work together to do it.”

 

Dybala also took the opportunity to shrug off transfer speculation regarding Barcelona and Real Madrid.

 

“I’m very happy at Juventus, my renewal is very close and I want to take advantage of what I’m experiencing here,” he told Mega after the game.

 

“I’ll try to give a lot of joy to my fans.”

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Allegri: 'Europe respects Juve now'

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100991/allegri-europe-respects-juve-now

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Max Allegri was still not entirely happy after Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0, but getting the Bianconeri “respected in Europe is my greatest result.”

 

The Bianconeri had a very aggressive start and it paid off, as Paulo Dybala bagged a brace within 22 minutes and Giorgio Chiellini’s header went in off the far post for a 3-0 result.

 

“We must be aware that it was a great performance, we played well technically both in attack and defence. It is the first step towards the semi-final, the second leg will be a different matter,” the Coach told Mediaset Premium.

 

“I am not capable of saying what our percentages are. In Barcelona we are going to have to play aiming to score goals.

 

“I am a dreamer, but also pragmatic and a realist. We’re on a growth process, I am happy with what the lads are doing and we’ve made important steps forward over the last few years.

 

“Juventus have respect for Europe and above all are respected in Europe. That is the greatest result of my three years here.”

 

The second leg is at Camp Nou on April 19 and Barcelona have already fought back from a 4-0 first leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain this season.

 

“We had several chances in the first half, moving the ball around and forcing them to shift, but we got a bit too greedy for an extra pass. That’s something we need to work on and improve for the second leg.

 

“Juventus deserve credit, as everyone contributed to the defence by cutting off the passing channels and trajectories, otherwise when the ball is at the feet of Messi, Iniesta or Suarez, you’re going to have trouble.

 

“We were sharp, with good passing moves, but could’ve done better and in some moments tried to make vertical passes too often.

 

“The lads entertained everyone in the stadium and got a good result, but we mustn’t get distracted from the reality of the situation. We have to prepare for Pescara and ensure we win the Scudetto, fortunately I have a big squad and the decisive figures may well be those who didn’t play tonight.

 

“Dybala showed his quality with an extraordinary performance, though everyone was excellent tonight. His finishing was great, but I am happy for him as I am for all the players.

 

“There were a lot of expectations around this side to see if they were up to a quarter-final. It was a psychological test and we need to improve how we perform with this system.”

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Paulo Dybala strikes twice as

Juventus down Barcelona in UCL

 

 

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/report?gameId=476518

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

 

Barcelona need another Nou Camp miracle if they are to reach the Champions League semifinals after a crushing 3-0 loss to Juventus in Turin.

Paulo Dybala struck twice in a stunning first half and Giorgio Chiellini added a third after the break as the hosts claimed a commanding advantage ahead of next week's second leg.

Dismal Barcelona's only hope is to repeat their feat of the previous round, when they recovered from a 4-0 first-leg loss to Paris Saint-Germain by beating the French side 6-1 at home.

But on the evidence of Tuesday night a second comeback looks highly unlikely after Juventus dominated proceedings with the help of Dybala's brilliant first-half brace.

The home side hared out from the first whistle and had their first chance after less than three minutes, which Gonzalo Higuain wasted in front of Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Luis Enrique's men, smarting from a domestic defeat to Malaga at the weekend, looked clueless over how to deal with their opponents' attacking threat and they fell behind with just seven minutes on the clock.

Paulo Dybala celebrates after opening the scoring for Juventus in a Champions League win against Barcelona. Valerio Pennicino - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

The superb Juan Cuadrado found Dybala on the right side of the box and the striker curled an excellent left-footed shot past the helpless keeper.

Barcelona responded well and could have grabbed an equaliser after 20 minutes when Lionel Messi threaded the ball to Andres Iniesta whose low shot was well saved by Gianluigi Buffon.

Moments later, Juventus surged down the left flank and Mario Mandzukic crossed for the unmarked Dybala, who fired his second of the game past Ter Stegen to put the hosts 2-0 up.

Messi had an effort ruled out for offside on the half-hour before Juventus came close to increasing their lead when Cuadrado pulled back for Miralem Pjanic, who blazed over the bar.

Barcelona started the second half in much better fashion with Messi rolling an effort inches wide of the upright and Buffon just beating Luis Suarez to an Ivan Rakitic through ball.

Higuain rolled a weak effort at Ter Stegen before Chiellini made it 3-0 after 55 minutes, out-jumping Javier Mascherano to head home only the second Champions League goal of his career.

Knowing a precious away goal could still help turn the tie in their favour, Barcelona began to press with Suarez trickling a fine chance wide then Neymar seeing an effort blocked by the busy Chiellini in the box.

Barcelona's misfiring mega-stars endured more frustration in the final quarter of an hour, Suarez miscontrolling after a pass across the six-yard box by Neymar, then Messi misjudging a fine chance from a corner.

Marshalled by a towering performance by Brazilian Alex Santos, the Juventus defence held out and Messi's last chance to reduce the deficit came to an end when he spun a free kick into the Italians' wall.

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique takes

blame for UCL defeat at Juventus

 

 

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/uefa-champions-league/story/3101776/barcelona

-coach-luis-enrique-takes-blame-for-ucl-defeat-at-juventus

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

 

Luis Enrique said he was "100 percent responsible" after Barcelona suffered another damaging away defeat in the Champions League, this time at the hands of Juventus.

Barca lost 4-0 at Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, only to win the return leg 6-1 and go through 6-5 on aggregate -- the first time such a first-leg deficit had ever been overturned in the European Cup.

They will now need another miracle back at Camp Nou, although Juve are likely to prove a sterner test than PSG when they take a 3-0 lead to Spain next week.

"It was a difficult first half, very similar to the one in Paris and the second was much better," Luis Enrique told Mediaset. "If you gift the first half, then obviously you're going to have problems.

"A coach does everything to help the team and prepare them, but evidently I did not. We have to improve, learn from these mistakes, analyse the game carefully and realise where we went wrong.

"It's the second time this has happened. It's hard to think of a remuntada [comeback], but we'll try to get back on our feet and put in a good performance in the second leg.

"It's not good to pick on single players after a defeat. It's a defeat for the whole team, starting with the coach."

Lionel Messi is dejected as Barcelona slip to defeat at Juventus.

He added in his postmatch news conference: "The feelings as manager are lamentable and it's difficult to explain. Positioning was a shipwreck, I wasn't able to transmit it well.

"I take responsibility 101 percent. We had better positioning in the second half, but the rival also let us have the ball. We created clear chances, but when you're having a nightmare like we had today you don't have that spark needed to take them.

"I don't have any energy to think about it now, but tomorrow will be the moment to pick ourselves up again and thing about getting three goals to level the tie and four to win it.

"I can't get the first half out my head. It's a shame because I saw the players with the intention to compete and to fight for the Champions League, but we've once again made errors...

"It doesn't matter if I think the result is fair or not, it is what it is. It was the third half off Paris and leaves a lot to be desired.

"I have little appetite to talk about the future now. Even though I am optimistic, it's natural I also pass through moments when I grieve. I am 100 percent responsible and that's difficult."

 

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Luis Enrique: 'Similar to Paris defeat'

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100992/luis-enrique-similar-paris-defeat

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Luis Enrique admits Barcelona’s 3-0 Champions League defeat to Juventus was “very similar” to the 4-0 at Paris Saint-Germain.

 

Paulo Dybala grabbed a brace of left-foot strikes in the opening 22 minutes, then Giorgio Chiellini nodded in a third.

 

“It was a difficult first half, very similar to the one in Paris and the second was much better. If you gift the first half, then obviously you’re going to have problems,” Lucho told Mediaset Premium.

 

“A Coach does everything to help the team and prepare them, but evidently I did not. We have to improve, learn from these mistakes, analyse the game carefully and realise where we went wrong.

 

“It’s the second time this has happened. It’s hard to think of a remuntada, but we’ll try to get back on our feet and put in a good performance in the second leg.”

 

Of course the Blaugrana managed to turn that tie around, winning 6-1 at Camp Nou, and the second leg against Juve is on April 19.

 

Luis Enrique was asked about the disappointing performance of Neymar. Was he affected by news this evening that he’s been given a three-match Liga ban and will miss El Clasico with Real Madrid?

 

“It’s not good to pick on single players after a defeat. It’s a defeat for the whole team, starting from the Coach.”

 

The former Roma Coach also spoke to the Spanish media after the game.

 

“It doesn’t matter if I think the result is fair or not, it is what it is.

 

“It seemed like the third half of PSG-Barca. It’s very serious and very sad. We were ineffective in the first half, and it’s a very hard time for us.

 

“We’ve revived a nightmare and we have to see why we were so terrible.

 

“Our positioning and some other details on the pitch were below the required standard.

 

“Our intensity must be much higher. In the Champions League, against a team like Juve, you can’t get away with that. The comeback? It’s harder now.”

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Buffon: 'Dybala in top five players'

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100993/buffon-dybala-top-five-players

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Gigi Buffon insists he “needs to prove myself worthy” every time, discussed how Juventus have changed and said Paulo Dybala is “in the world’s top five players.”

 

Dybala got two early goals and Giorgio Chiellini added a third in the Champions League quarter-final first leg victory over Barcelona.

 

When it was still 1-0 and moments before the second goal, Buffon performed a stunning save on Andres Iniesta.

 

“Saint Gigi? No, I play for a top team and with the support I get from my teammates, I need to prove every game that I am still worthy of my place in the line-up,” Buffon told Mediaset Premium.

 

“It was an important save considering the moment, also a difficult one, as it was an issue of thousandths of a second. If I have the ambition of being considered still a great goalkeeper, I need to do these things.

 

“We look towards the second leg with a positive view. This 3-0 was not casual. It means we are here, we had no reverence or fear for Barcelona, we played with our qualities.

 

“However, the tie with Paris Saint-Germain means we need to still be very cautious. We are satisfied tonight, but know full well we have not yet qualified for the next round.”

 

How have Juventus changed since they lost the 2015 Champions League Final 3-1 to Luis Enrique’s Barcelona?

 

“Since 2015 we have more belief, we are more at ease with the ball and with certain environments, whereas in the past we were almost a little nervous against some teams.

 

“Barcelona remain the strongest team out there, in my view, so if they want to, they can win every trophy. Fortunately a team sport has different elements and situations that can change a game or a tie.”

 

Finally, Buffon had advice for his young teammate Dybala after this brace.

 

“Dybala has grown exponentially over the last two years. When I talk to directors or friends in football, I’ve been saying for a while that he is good enough to be in the top five players in the world and wouldn’t be out of place in the top three.

 

“Having said that, he needs to prove it every time and with regularity, to show he is worthy of our expectations of him.”

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

'MSN' blanked, Javier Mascherano

outpaced and outmuscled at Juve

 

 

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/club/barcelona/83/blog/post/3100934/msn-blanked-

javier-mascherano-outpaced-and-outmuscled-in-rout-at-juventus

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

A rampant Juventus served Barcelona a cold dish of revenge 22 months after their defeat in the Champions League final in Berlin, outfighting and outrunning Luis Enrique's side and showing they have one of the most exciting talents in the world in Paulo Dybala.  

Barca will refuse to believe they are out of the tournament after their miraculous comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the last round but Juve's experience and power suggests the Old Lady will not be for turning.  

The "MSN" were starved of space and were frequently snuffed out by Juve's own special trio at the back, the hardened "BBC" of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini and the Catalans dearly missed the suspended Sergio Busquets as Javier Mascherano drowned in midfield, a role he is no longer suited to at this stage in his career.

 

Positives

Barca conceded one goal fewer than in their last away outing in the Champions League and Gerard Pique, Neymar and Ivan Rakitic managed to avoid bookings, meaning they escaped suspension from the second leg, in which they will be able to count on Busquets again

Negatives

Barca have lost three of their five European away trips, only managing to win at Celtic and Borussia Monchengladbach. This season when pitted against the best teams in the continent and away from the comfort of the Camp Nou, they have fallen woefully short. 

Manager rating out of 10

4 -- Although there were no easy solutions to the absence of Busquets for Luis Enrique, deploying the slow Mascherano in a role he has not played well in since the 2014 World Cup proved a disastrous decision, nearly as bad as selecting Jeremy Mathieu over Jordi Alba. He also only used one substitution, although he deserves some credit for the improvement in the second half, even if the bar was set very low.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Marc Andre ter Stegen, 4 -- Had one of his poorest displays of the season, caught flat-footed for the opener and beaten at his near post for the second and overall commanded his box very poorly.

DF Gerard Pique, 4 -- Was lethargic in getting across to pick up Dybala on both of the Argentine's goals.

DF Samuel Umtiti, 6 -- Was not at fault for any of the goals and tried to give some presence in the other box as Barca chased the game.

DF Jeremy Mathieu, 3 -- Thoroughly unsuitable for the job of dealing with Juan Cuadrado and so it proved as he failed to get close to the Colombian for the opening goal and looked well off the pace, embarrassingly hauled off at half-time.

MF Sergi Roberto, 5 -- Was beaten by Miralem Pjanic down his right flank for Dybala's second goal but gave a decent display going forward, always looking to make something happen even though he rarely managed to.

MF Ivan Rakitic, 5 -- Worked really hard but his occasional technical deficiencies were exposed by Juve's dynamic midfield.

MF Javier Mascherano, 3 -- Showed why he is so rarely used in the holding midfield role these days for Barca and why Argentina have suffered in the last year when they have played him there. Struggled to cope with the pace and gave a pitiful effort in trying to prevent Dybala stroking in the second and was hopelessly outmuscled by Chiellini for the third.

MF Andres Iniesta, 5 -- Tried to give Barca some control in a game where they rarely had any grip and things might have been different had he managed to beat Buffon in the first half, but he was poor defensively, like so many of his teammates.

FW Lionel Messi, 5 -- Threatened to sparkle in the first half such as with his brilliant reverse pass into Iniesta but was kept quiet for most of the game and was emphatically upstaged by his younger compatriot Dybala.

FW Luis Suarez, 4 -- Worked hard at times but was clumsy when the ball came his way and was helpless to get beyond Juve's rock-solid defence who were always alert when he came into the area. Missed a good chance to make it 3-1 as he blasted beyond Gianluigi Buffon's far post.

FW Neymar, 5 -- Juve did a superb job on the Brazilian, constricting him for most of the game and depriving Barca of one of their most important creative outlets.

Substitutes

MF Andre Gomes, 5 -- Barca fans must have sighed when they saw him on the sidelines to replace Mathieu at half-time but the much-vilified Portuguese did not fare too badly although he never threatened to help turn the tide in Barca's favour.

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Barcelona's Champions League away

woes continue after Juve thrashing

 

 

Luis Enrique's men extended their futility away from

Camp Nou with Tuesday's big loss to Juventus.

 

 

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1716/champions-league/2017/04/11/34525522/-

 

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Barcelona are finding things exceedingly difficult in away matches lately.

 

Just a few days after suffering a 2-0 defeat at Malaga in La Liga, Barca extended their recent futility away from Camp Nou to the Champions League with a 3-0 loss at Juventus.

 

Tuesday's rout was bad enough on its own, but when combined with a 4-0 loss to PSG in Paris back in February it means that Barca have conceded at least three goals in consecutive Champions League away games for the first time since October 2000.

 

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In addition, Tuesday's loss marked the first time the Blaugrana have lost consecutive Champions League away matches under Luis Enrique.

 

"There's no place like home" is a statement made famous in The Wizard of Oz, but lately it's become a reality of life for Barcelona, who also lost at Deportivo La Coruna last month.

 

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Iniesta: 'Not as bad as in Paris'

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100994/iniesta-not-bad-paris

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Andres Iniesta insists Barcelona “don’t feel as bad as we did in Paris” and “we’ll turn the tie around if we do things as we need to” after losing 3-0 to Juventus.

 

The Blaugrana completed the biggest comeback in Champions League history when losing 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain and winning the second leg 6-1.

 

They’ll need something similar, as they lost 3-0 in Turin to a Paulo Dybala brace and Giorgio Chiellini header.

 

“We did things badly, especially in the first half,” said Iniesta.

 

“They punished us with their two goals, but something else was seen from us in the second half. We deserved to score, but it means little now.

 

“Juve are a good team, but when you don’t do things well, it penalises you a lot.

 

“Memories of Paris? We don’t feel as bad as we did in Paris, but we have another big mountain to climb.

 

“The comeback? If we do things as we need to, we’ll turn the tie around, otherwise it’ll be impossible.”

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Juventus now 'respected in Europe'

after beating Barcelona - Max Allegri

 

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/juventus/story/3101813/juventus-now

-respected-in-europe-after-beating-barcelona-max-allegri

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri called his team's 3-0 win against Barcelona the greatest result of his three years in Turin, while adding the team are now "respected in Europe."

Paulo Dybala had Allegri's team up and running in the seventh minute with a fine, curled effort to beat Barca's Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The Argentina international doubled the hosts' advantage before the break, lashing home a first-time effort from 18 yards away to put Juve up 2-0.

And Giorgio Chiellini piled on to frustrated Barca's woe just after half-time, heading home from a corner to reach the final scoreline.

Allegri tempered expectations ahead of the second leg -- wary of his opponents' ability to overturn a lopsided first-leg result as they did in the round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain -- before sharing where the win stacked up in his time at Juventus.

"We must be aware that it was a great performance, we played well technically both in attack and defence. It is the first step towards the semifinal, the second leg will be a different matter," Allegri told Mediaset.

"I am not capable of saying what our percentages are. In Barcelona we are going to have to play aiming to score goals.

"I am a dreamer, but also pragmatic and a realist. We're on a growth process, I am happy with what the lads are doing and we've made important steps forward over the last few years.

"Juventus have respect for Europe and above all are respected in Europe. That is the greatest result of my three years here."

Allegri saw room for improvement ahead of the second leg, set for Wednesday, April 19 at Camp Nou, saying his team may have been a bit "greedy" in executing their game plan.

"We had several chances in the first half, moving the ball around and forcing them to shift, but we got a bit too greedy for an extra pass," he said. "That's something we need to work on and improve for the second leg.

"Juventus deserve credit, as everyone contributed to the defence by cutting off the passing channels and trajectories, otherwise when the ball is at the feet of [Lionel] Messi, [Andres] Iniesta or [Luis] Suarez, you're going to have trouble.

Juventus players celebrate at full-time of their impressive 3-0 win against Barcelona in the Champions League.

"We were sharp, with good passing moves, but could've done better and in some moments tried to make vertical passes too often."

Star-man Dybala felt the team had been "perfect" against the 2015 Champions League winners, but echoed his manager that the job was only half done.

"We were perfect," Dybala told Mediaset. "We played an outstanding game and took the chances we had. This is a positive result for the return leg, but we've got to be careful because we know how the Blaugrana are in their own stadium.

"We're strong, though. I dreamt of moments like this when I was a child. We're doing well and a result like this gives us the right belief we can realise our objectives."

Gianluigi Buffon, who made several key saves to preserve Juve's advantage and ensure Barcelona did not pick up an away goal, paid tribute to Dybala's impact and called him one of the top three players in the world.

"His growth in recent years has been out of this world," Buffon said. "He's made a name for himself now and I think he's been in the top five in the world for a while now, and he would not look out of place in the top three either."

Of his own performance, Buffon added: "I'm here to make saves. I play in a great team and even I, at the back, need to prove I am worthy of playing at this level and in this side. We can be positive about the second leg now.

"This 3-0 did not just come around by fluke. We've proven who we are. We had no fear, but what happened to PSG has got to make us remain cautious because we've not got through yet."

 

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Chiellini: 'Couldn't ask for better'

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100996/chiellini-couldnt-ask-better

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Giorgio Chiellini admits “if you’d asked Juventus what we wanted three hours ago, it’d be difficult to ask for better” after beating Barcelona 3-0 with his goal.

 

The defender nodded in from a corner after the first half Paulo Dybala brace in the Champions League quarter-final.

 

“It was a great night, we are truly happy with this result against one of the best sides in the world and certainly the best attack,” he told Mediaset Premium.

 

“However, we’re old enough to know it’s not over yet. We’ve got a tough game coming up at Camp Nou, but if you’d asked us what we wanted three hours ago, it’d be difficult to ask for better.

 

“We are well aware of our strengths and weaknesses, we’re up against a side that is a specialist at fightbacks, but we prepared well for this match and neutralised most of their moves.

 

“When we did let something through, Gigi Buffon fortunately saved everything!”

 

This was the first reunion between Chiellini and Luis Suarez since the infamous bite in the 2014 World Cup.

 

“Suarez is a great player, we saluted each other and hopefully now people won’t talk about that incident anymore.”

 

It has been an extraordinary week for Chiellini, who received his Master’s Degree and then scored against Barcelona. Which was more enjoyable?

 

“They are two different things. I will enjoy this evening and football is my job as well as my life now, but the degree is a journey of my life and also means a great deal to me.”

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Allegri: 'Juve have done nothing yet'

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100997/allegri-juve-have-done-nothing-yet

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Max Allegri warned Juventus “have achieved nothing yet, so it’s right to be happy, but also keep our feet on the ground.”

 

The Bianconeri crushed Barcelona 3-0 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final and the decider is at Camp Nou on April 19.

 

“We are midway through because there are 45 days to the end of the season. Right now we haven’t won the Scudetto, Coppa Italia or reached the Champions League semi-final,” said the Coach in his Press conference.

 

“What tonight’s game must do is give us more confidence and awareness of what this squad can achieve.

 

“It’s right to be happy with what we’ve done, but also to keep our feet on the ground and a sense of balance, as we’ve achieved nothing yet.

 

“Barcelona put six past Paris Saint-Germain, so we know it’s a complicated match. As I said yesterday, we need to make the most of our strengths and Barcelona’s weaknesses.”

[Socrates 8524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENTUS - BARCELONA

 

3-0  -  

 

Paulo Dybala 7'

Paulo Dybala 22'

Giorgio Chiellini 55'

 

 

 

QUARTER FINALS - FIRST LEG

 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 - 8:45 p.m.
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

 

 

 

 

Dani Alves: 'Strong Juve, not weak Barca'

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100999/dani-alves-strong-juve-not-weak-barca

 

Apr 11, 2017

 

Tifosibianconeri English page - CLICK HERE

 

Dani Alves wants it acknowledged that the 3-0 victory was “more down to the strength of Juventus than Barcelona’s weakness.”

 

The Brazilian faced off against his former club in the Champions League quarter-final, earning a dramatic first leg win.

 

“We played a great game in terms of defensive intensity, leaving no spaces at the back, which made things very difficult for our opponents,” said Dani Alves.

 

“This result is more down to the strength of Juventus than Barcelona’s weakness. We put in a titanic performance and effort to earn this.”

 

The Blaugrana lost their first leg 4-0 to PSG and still turned it around with a 6-1 victory in the Round of 16.

 

“We have to be cautious going into the second leg, as we know what they were capable of against Paris Saint-Germain.

 

“If we maintain this intensity and can score an away goal, then we can overcome these phenomenons to reach the semi-final.

 

“Clearly we will have to fight and suffer, so it will not be easy, but we have faith.”