HAIFA, Israel: Omer Atzili scored twice as Maccabi Haifa beat struggling Juventus 2-0 on Tuesday in Champions League Group H, pushing the Italian giants to the brink of elimination.
Juve are third in their group after four matches, equal on three points with Maccabi, who remain bottom despite their first win, and four behind Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain, who play later in the evening.
Juventus had suggested their form was improving as they beat the Israeli team in Turin last week, but lost to AC Milan on Saturday to slide to eighth in Serie A.
After the game Juventus president Andrea Agnelli expressed his dismay but repeated his support for coach Massimiliano Allegri.
"I'm ashamed of what's happening right now," said Agnelli to Sky Sport Italia.
"There is no one person culpable, it's not the coach's fault if we can't win a tackle. Allegri is going to remain coach of Juventus."
The hosts dominated the first half at the Sammy Ofer stadium and took the lead after seven minutes.
Atzili outjumped the visiting defence to meet a cross from Pierre Cornud, and although he turned his head away just before making contact, the ball struck his back. Wojciech Szczesny reached the ball but it crawled through his outstretched fingers and in off the post.
Maccabi poured forward. Tjaronn Chery hit the bar. Szczesny saved from Atzili.
The home team continued to dominate after Juventus midfielder Angel di Maria limped off with a thigh problem in the 24th minute.
Three minutes before half time, Atzili shaped to curl a left-footy shot inside the far post, but instead clipped it inside the near post with Szczesny rooted to his line.
Juventus managed their first strike on goal seconds before half time but Joshua Cohen saved low from Dusan Vlahovic's header.
Juventus pressed from the start of the second half and Cohen saved high from a Daniele Rugani header flying toward the top corner.
He later saved from wingers Juan Cuadrado and Arkadiusz Milik but Maccabi created late chances as they held on comfortably.
In their third appearance in the Champions League group stage, Maccabi claimed their second big scalp 20 years after their first.
In their debut campaign they beat Manchester United 3-0 at home in October 2002. They failed to progress then or on their second appearance in 2009-10.
Maccabi Haifa win 2-0 to push Juventus to edge of Champions League elimination
https://arab.news/b2j4f
Maccabi Haifa win 2-0 to push Juventus to edge of Champions League elimination
- Juve are third in their group after four matches
- Juventus had suggested their form was improving as they beat the Israeli team in Turin last week
Proud dad Zinedine Zidane watches Algeria beat Sudan 3-0
- Former Real Madrid legend Zidane watches his son Luca keep a clean sheet in the Algeria goal during the Africa Cup of Nations match in Rabat
- Riyad Mahrez scores twice for Algeria, one of the tournament favorites, who move top of Group E
RABAT, Morocco: France great Zinedine Zidane watched his goalkeeper son’s safe hands as Algeria started its Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 3-0 win over 10-man Sudan on Wednesday.
Riyad Mahrez scored twice and the 20-year-old Ibrahim Maza scored his first international goal for Algeria, one of the tournament favorites, to move top of Group E.
“The most important thing was to start with a win,” Mahrez said. “The last two AFCONs, we didn’t start good. Today, we really wanted to make it happen and we did.”
Zidane, who was at the sweet-smelling Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat to see his son Luca Zidane playing in the Algeria goal, was feted by the crowd every time he was shown on the big screens.
Luca Zidane opted to represent his grandfather’s country after getting the Fennec Foxes’ invitation and he’s been given his chance to shine because of an injury to Alexandre Oukidja, who might have been expected to start otherwise.
Algeria wasted little time Wednesday with Mahrez sweeping in the opener in the second minute after unselfish play from Hicham Boudaoui to set him up.
Zidane was called into action shortly afterward to deny Yaser Awad on a break.
Sudan had to play all its qualification games away from home because of the near 1,000-day old civil war ravaging the country.
Though the Algerians looked confident and played with intensity, the big chances fell at the other end, with Zidane saving again from Awad before Abdel Raouf fired over.
Salah Adil was sent off just as the rain began to fall shortly before the break with his second yellow card for a foul on Rayan Aït-Nouri, who would have been through otherwise.
But the Algerian fans, who were in a majority, needed to be patient.
Mohammed Amoura produced a brilliant cross with the outside of his boot for Mahrez to score in the 61st, and Baghdad Bounedjah headed the ball into Maza’s path for the substitute to complete the scoring in the 85th.
Drama in Casablanca
Edmond Tapsoba completed a remarkable turnaround as Burkina Faso scored two goals in stoppage time to beat 10-man Equatorial Guinea 2-1 in the early Group E game.
Tapsoba’s team had pushed hard for the opening goal after Basilio Ndong was sent off early in the second half for a bad challenge on Bertrand Traoré’s ankle.
Marvin Anieboh then stunned the Stallions when he launched himself at Carlos Akapo’s cross to score with a looping header in the 85th minute.
Georgi Minoungou equalized in the fifth minute of stoppage time and Tapsoba headed the winner three minutes after that.
Later Wednesday in Group F, defending champion Ivory Coast began its title defense against Mozambique in Marrakech and five-time champion Cameroon opened against Gabon in the coastal city of Agadir.
