Juventus secured a berth in the knockout stages of the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in Turin, Italy, on Wednesday.

Mario Mandzukic scored the only goal of the match as the Bianconeri leapfrogged their Premier League counterparts to take over first place in Group D. Both sides are now locked into round-of-16 spots, but which club will be seeded in the draw won’t be decided until the final group matches in December.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini had urged his side before the match to take advantage of the opportunity to secure the top spot in the group. He pointed toward poor luck in recent draws as a major reason for that added motivation, per Richard Tanner of the Daily Express.

“Everyone criticized this club for our performances in Europe, but we have now qualified for the knockout stages for the third year in a row,” Pellegrini said. “We were unlucky on both the previous occasions to draw Barcelona in the round of 16, so it’s important to try to avoid them because it’s important for our club to reach at least one step more.”

His players appeared game for the challenge in the early going as City controlled the pace of play. They nearly grabbed the lead at the quarter-hour mark as a battle in the box presented a golden opportunity for Fernandinho, but he fired his effort well over the bar.

The missed chance loomed even larger two minutes later as Juventus got on the scoreboard first.

Paul Pogba jump-started an attacking foray for the Bianconeri, which eventually ended up on the foot of Alex Sandro. He delivered a pinpoint cross into the box and Mario Mandzukic easily slotted the shot past Joe Hart for the goal.

Andrew Jerell Jones of USA Today noted City appealed for a foul on the Croatian, who got tangled up with Nicolas Otamendi as the defender fell down, but no call got made:

Fox Soccer highlighted the opening tally:

City managed to produce several promising chances on goal during the remaining portion of the first half. Yaya Toure unleashed three scorching efforts and Sergio Aguero found himself one-on-one with Gianluigi Buffon, but in every case, they lacked the necessary finishing touch.

WhoScored.com showcased that lack of execution as part of the first-half stats:

Juventus did well to slow the pace of the action after the half-time break. City still managed to hold a possession edge, but the home side limited their space and prevented them from turning it into a constant barrage on Buffon.

The visitors did generate a couple of chances.

A Kevin De Bruyne corner was redirected on goal by Fernandinho, but a slight touch from Juventus’ veteran goalkeeper was enough to knock it off the post. Toure couldn’t regain his balance in time to tap home the rebound, either.

Second-half substitute Raheem Sterling also found himself with a close-range opportunity, but he placed his shot just wide of the far post.

Bleacher Report UK summed up the miss:

Making matters worse, Hart exited the match late due to an apparent hamstring issue, according to Mark Ogden of the Telegraph:

And, in the end, City could never find the final touch they needed to earn at least a point.

Juventus celebrated the victory:

OptaPaolo provided another note about the early advancement:

Looking ahead, Manchester City will seek to end their three-match winless streak when they take on Southampton in Premier League action Saturday. It’s the latest stop amid an extremely busy schedule that features seven games in 22 days.

Juventus is caught up in a similar stretch of seemingly non-stop action. The Vecchia Signora will return to the pitch Sunday as they square off with Serie A foes Palermo. It’s an opportunity to grab three much-needed points as they sit nine points behind Inter Milan through 13 fixtures.

City and Juve return to Champions League play on Dec. 8 to close out the group stage. The Sky Blues will battle Borussia Monchengladbach while the Bianconeri visit Sevilla with the coveted top spot still up for grabs.

 

Post-Match Reaction

To follow…

 

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