Matt Maher gives his take on Villa's 0-0 draw with Juventus.
It was a game with few chances - with Emi Martinez producing a big save and Luca Digne hitting the bar for Villa.
The drama came in stoppage time as Villa thought they had won it with Morgan Rogers, only for the goal to be chalked off for a foul.
It was a game with few chances - with Emi Martinez producing a big save and Luca Digne hitting the bar for Villa.
The drama came in stoppage time as Villa thought they had won it with Morgan Rogers, only for the goal to be chalked off for a foul.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Good evening from Villa Park where it finished. Villa nil, Juventus nil and for a few seconds at least Villa thought they had downed another European heavyweight.
00:12Morgan Rodgers sweeping home with the last kick of the game after Juventus keeper Michele Di Gregorio had spilled a free kick.
00:21Some Villa players celebrated, others didn't. There was general confusion. Had the referee given a free kick?
00:28Had he given the goal? No one seemed quite sure. It took about two or three minutes until it was confirmed that no he had given the free kick.
00:37Diego Carlos penalised for a foul on the goalkeeper. Unai Emery described the decision afterwards as very soft.
00:45He felt that the goal would have stood in a Premier League game. Oli Watkins said the same.
00:52The general feeling was that Villa were unlucky and that the goal should have stood.
01:00But in a modern game goalkeepers do get a lot of protection.
01:05In truth the drama at the end was in contrast to a game that for most of the 90 minutes was fairly dull.
01:15Juventus badly depleted, no senior striker available to their manager Thiago Motta.
01:23They kept the ball very well but this was a game of few chances. Di Gregorio saving in the first half from Oli Watkins
01:31and then a superb goal line block in the second half to deny John McGinn.
01:37In between Emi Martinez showed why he won the best goalkeeper in the world award by saving brilliantly from Francesco Conceicao
01:45which was the only one big chance that Juventus had in the entire game.
01:49But to be honest in the first five minutes this looked like a game that was going to finish 0-0 and it duly did.
01:55Good point for Villa, it's probably a point that's enough to put them into the playoff round of the Champions League at least
02:03and they're still well placed to battle for a top eight position.
02:06But a sense that perhaps, yes this was Juventus, this was a game that most Villa fans wouldn't have even dreamed of taking place two years ago.
02:13But also the sense of a missed opportunity as well.