ROME (AP) — Italy's consecration in the European Championship in Italy generated expectations for better results from the country's clubs in continental tournaments.
The eye-catching style of the national team led by Roberto Mancini, given to possession of the ball, won fans around the world in June and July. But he was nowhere seen in the Juventus elimination by Villarreal in the Champions League.
The fall of Vecchi Signora left Italy without representatives in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. Atalanta saved the honor a little by getting into the fourth place in the Europa League.
“Italian football achieved the miracle by winning the Euro, because success was based on an innovative and fearless way of playing,” former Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi told Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday. “But clubs, except for some 'small teams' that understood the message (such as Atalanta and Sassuolo), still think like the old guard: 'First don't let a goal be conceded and then we see what happens. '”
It is worth noting that Juventus took the lead in the first half on Wednesday and rehearsed four shots on goal against none of Villarreal, including a crossbar shot by Dušan Vlahović.
But in the second half, Villarreal backed out and defended with the overall score 1-1. Juve began to become frustrated and left room for counterattacks.
This led to a flurry of three from the Spanish team in the fourth quarter, to win 3-0 and sentence an overall 4-1.
It was the third consecutive season that Juventus was eliminated at home in the round of 16.
“I don't think there is an explanation,” acknowledged Juve's winger, Colombian Juan Cuadrado. “It's football.”
For Juventus, one of the teams that spearheaded the failed Super League project, getting eliminated in Europe has become routine. The club's last continental trophy was the little-recognized Intertoto Cup in 1999, three years after its last Champions League title.
After reaching the Champions League finals in 2015 and 2017, Juventus thought it had everything it took to finally win the coveted trophy with the acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018. But the Portuguese left after three seasons, as did coaches Maurizio Sarri and Andrea Pirlo, who were in charge for only one season.
The last Italian club to win the Champions League was Inter Milan in 2010, while Atalanta is the last to reach the quarterfinals in 2020.