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| Villarreal hold Juve in 1st leg | | | agencies
NEW DELHI, Feb 24: Dusan Vlahovic lived up to the hype by scoring 31 seconds into his Champions League debut on Tuesday but Juventus have work to do to make the last 16 after being held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal in the first leg.
Vlahovic found the corner with just his second touch of the game at La Ceramica but a sensational start for Juve and the Serb's Champions League career was not enough for victory.
Instead, Villarreal's Dani Parejo steered in a deserved equaliser midway through the second half to leave a compelling contest in the balance ahead the return leg in Turin.
At 22 years and 25 days old, Vlahovic is the second youngest player to score on their Champions League debut for Juventus after Alessandro Del Piero made his mark aged 20.
Vlahovic was signed for an initial 70 million euros from Fiorentina in January and to huge excitement, with Juve toasting the arrival of one of the world's most coveted young talents.
Juventus coach Max Allegri had tried to reduce expectations on Monday by insisting the striker would have to adapt psychologically and technically to the intensity of the Champions League - but Vlahovic needed less than a minute to find his feet.
It was his second goal in five appearances for Juve after he scored 12 minutes into his debut against Verona earlier this month, following a blistering 25 goals in 31 games for Fiorentina.
Juventus are realistically Italy's last hope of a representative in the quarter-finals after Inter Milan were beaten 2-0 at the San Siro by Liverpool on Wednesday.
Juventus will be favourites to finish the job at home next month but a well-organised and disciplined Villarreal, who won the Europa League last season, showed enough to suggest an upset is far from impossible.
McKennie could be out for 8-12 weeks
Juventus and United States international midfielder Weston McKennie fractured the second and third metatarsals in his left foot during Tuesday's Champions League match against Villarreal.
The club initially expects him to miss 8-12 weeks, Tenorio adds.
The 23-year-old needed assistance to leave the pitch after a tackle from Pervis Estupinan, and McKennie was substituted in the 81st minute of the eventual 1-1 draw. He limped off with the help of the medical staff, unable to put any weight on his left foot, which got caught under the knee of a sliding Estupinan on the play.
McKennie had been among Juventus' brightest players in the match until that point.
The injury comes at an inopportune time for both McKennie's club and country. Juventus, already without several key squad members due to a variety of ailments, are still competing on three fronts and are in an intense battle to finish top four in Serie A.
The US men's national team, meanwhile, will resume World Cup qualifying on March 24. The Americans sit second in the "Octagonal" going into their final three matches - the top three teams automatically clinch berths in Qatar for this year's World Cup. |
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