New Delhi: Matchday 1 of this year’s revamped UEFA Champions League saw Juventus mark their return to the competition in style with a 3-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven in Turin. Simultaneously, Aston Villa ended their 41-year long wait for a European night, thumping BSC Young Boys 0-3 in Bern with command.
Juventus’ Turkish sensation Kenan Yildiz opened the night’s scoring with a picturesque shot, before Weston McKinnie doubled the advantage mere minutes later. Nico Gonzalez effectively ended the contest with a calm strike in the 52nd minute, before Ismael Saibari grabbed a consolation goal for PSV in the very last action of the match.
Nearly 320 km from Turin, Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans scored from a corner, with the Swiss hosts gifting the Villans the second some 10 minutes later. Jhon Duran was denied another goal from the bench after VAR intervention, but it was Amadou Onana continuing his goal-scoring exploits with a long-range effort, to make it 0-3.
Back in Turin, there was indecision whether to bring out the party poppers, or bite on fingernails in the buildup to the Old Lady’s first appearance in the Champions League after 2 years of absence forced by poor performances and punishment for an accounting scandal. There was also the issue of the new manager, Thiago Motta, yet to bed in with his revolutionary tactics.
Those feelings were certainly amplified in the opening 20 minutes of the match, with PSV quick to establish control in possession. Motta was wary of closing in space between the lines and staying compact, but in return, ensured that PSV winger Johan Bakayoko was isolated with his counterpart in Andrea Cambiaso on the right flank.
The visitors were growing in confidence, with Bakayoko a hub of creativity, feeding crosses into the box for onrushing midfielders to nick a couple of decent attempts at goal. Juventus had to rethink, and chose to attack on the counter. The first warning shot came in the 19th minute, with Cambiaso’s cross finding Nico Gonzalez at the back post.
The first goal also came from nearly the same region. On the counter, Yildiz drove down the right half-space, with the PSV backline retreating in response. Then, perhaps emulating Alessandro Del Piero, who held the record for being Juve’s youngest UCL goalscorer until tonight, Yildiz fired a curling effort aimed at the top-right corner, which hit the crossbar before nestling into the net.
FT | ⌛ | 5️⃣-star performance to kick off our European campaign! ⭐#JuvePSV #UCL pic.twitter.com/qxaEZt3jtS
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) September 17, 2024
Few minutes later, PSV were again rushing towards their own goal, with Cambiaso’s long diagonal allowing Gonzalez to dart towards the box from the right, before spotting McKinnie’s well-timed run for a close-range finish. Despite their strong start at a fearsome venue like the Allianz Arena in Turin, PSV were crumbling at the rate of a wet biscuit, and were desperate for half-time. Again, early impressions of the new half had PSV look the better side, dominating possession.
Joey Veerman, however, was keen on possession a bit too much, idling on the ball near the halfway line and opening the door for Teun Koopmeiners to nick the ball from him. Forward Dusan Vlahovic then carried the ball at the edge of the PSV box, before firing a square ball into Gonzalez, who waited and waited before converting his one-on-one chance.
Like a nervous child experiencing stage fright, PSV were overeager to compensate. They held onto settled possession for what seemed like an eternity, but Juve centerbacks Gleison Bremer and substitute Danilo were colossal in fending off any inviting pass. Juve, especially Vlahovic, enjoyed many counter-attacking opportunities to extend their advantage, only for the striker to lack that decisive edge and prolong the debate around his goal-scoring credentials.
PSV’s own goal-scoring credentials were under-threat, with the visitors bulldozing teams domestically. Ishmael Saibari ensured that his side managed to nick one back, receiving a pass from Bakayoko at the edge of the box, before beating Michele Di Gregorio to the bottom-right corner and allowing the full-time whistle to ring through a jubilant Allianz Arena.
The theme for the opener at Turin could also be applied to Villa’s tie away at BSC Young Boys. Emotions were already high enough given the occasion of Villa’s return to Europe’s big table, with the unfortunate demise of 1982 European cup hero Gary Shaw further fuelling the side’s hunger to put on a show for the ages.
The visitors, however, were timid in the opening spells of the game, failing to assert themselves and letting the possession percentage hang in the balance. It could’ve been a completely different game if the hosts were a bit more clinical in the 12th minute, when Cheikh Niasse allowed Ebrima Colley to test Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez from an obtuse angle, only for the ball to bounce in Filip Ugrinic’s path, whose volley was painfully close to nestling in the left-hand side of the goal.
10 minutes later the hosts were at Villa’s door again. Ugrinic’s free kick was cleared only momentarily, with Colley latching onto the loose ball, before springing into action and driving inside the box. His shot too was inches away from the goal, almost grazing the crossbar.
It was then Villa’s turn to search for Plan B, and they took Route one. In the 24th minute, Martinez launched his goal kick, with Ollie Watkins flicking it into midfielder’s John McGinn’s path. With only the goalkeeper to beat, the Scotland international fired his effort wide of the mark.
Where the Young Boys showed their immaturity, Villa punished. A few minutes later, Villa won a corner and took it short. McGinn picked his moment before lashing a cross at the near post, with Youri Tielemans ghosting into the empty space and stabbing the ball from close-range.
WHAT A START TO OUR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CAMPAIGN 💥#YBAVL || #UpTheVilla pic.twitter.com/OCj02TOS79
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 17, 2024
A celebratory atmosphere was soon engulfed by a sensation of impending doom when the Villa scored their second within 10 minutes. Morgan Rogers’ cross should’ve been dealt with easily by BSC centerhalf Mohammed Aly Camara, who instead chose to pass the ball back to his keeper David von Ballmoos, allowing the shrewd Watkins to make the crucial interception before being struck by Von Ballmoos. It was too late, as the loose ball was snapped up by midfielder Jacob Ramsey for a tap-in.
Watkins, ever a persistent force, was eager to deliver the death blow and get on the scoresheet, which he momentarily did on the stroke of halftime. His first shot was blocked by a defender, his second on the rebound was in the back of the net. A VAR check concluded that the loose ball hit Watkins’ hand first.
Come the second half, and Villa were in their element. Academy graduate Ramsey was close to an emotional brace in the 64th minute, when his dipping shot from the edge of the box produced a cat-like save from Von Ballmoos.
Then came the inevitable moment. Jhon Duran was substituted in place for Watkins. Jhon Duran scored in the 77th minute, after combining well with Ramsey in the box and scoring from a sweet first-time shot. VAR definitely wasn’t feeling as peppy as Villa, ruling out the goal after Amadou Onana was found to be handling the ball in the buildup to the goal.
Onana would’ve probably felt apologetic, and decided to make amends by gifting the world a goal from the highlight reels. In the 86th minute, Onana took aim at Von Ballmoos from long-range, only for his low-driver to somehow find the bottom-left corner and end a historic night on a high note.
A special two-in-one story for the opening matchday of this year’s Champions League campaign. Juventus and Aston Villa made triumphant returns to the competition, with commanding victories over PSV Eindhoven and BSC Young Boys respectively. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
