How heavy dependence on Cristiano Ronaldo foiled Juventus' Champions League ambition
The UEFA Champions League quarter-finals saw one of the favourites to win the coveted trophy bow out in the second leg as Ajax handed Juventus a big shock away from home.
Ajax registered a massive win over the Italian champions as they continue their miraculous run in this year's UEFA Champions League. Ajax captain, Matthijs de Ligt, scored the winner in the 67th minute from a corner after beating two defenders to the ball to seal the tie 3-2 in his side's favour.
Juventus looked the better side in the early stages and the first half as they kept moving forward and creating numerous chances, but it took Cristiano Ronaldo's thumping header to break the deadlock in the 28th minute.
The Bianconeri could not hold on to their lead for a long time as the visitors equalized six minutes later with a Donny van de Beek strike. Ajax's equalizer saw the game shifting gears, as it was anyone's for the taking.
The second half started with a big change as Paulo Dybala came off for Moise Kean. The Argentine looked in agony towards the end of the first half as he was subjected to continuous challenges by Daley Blind and was substituted for the Italian wonder kid at the beginning of the second half.
The Dutch side started the second half in scintillating fashion as they had the Juventus defence on its toes. David Neres, Hakim Ziyech, Van de Beek, and Dusan Tadic created all kinds of problems for the Old Lady's back line to deal with and ultimately were rewarded with a goal that sealed the fate of the tie through their captain as he headed home a corner in the 67th minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the only player up front who was looking sharp as other players failed to keep up with the energy of Ajax. The Portuguese was burdened with carrying the team in the quarterfinals all by himself.
The former Real Madrid man did it all alone against Atletico, but for him to do it all over again in the quarters was not meant to be. The Juve midfield failed to create enough chances as they were overrun in the centre of the park, meanwhile, their defence kept committing silly mistakes.
Ajax's players had a historic outing and some of the players had a night they would never forget, which predominately includes Matthijs de Ligt, Donny van de Beek, Frenkie de Jong, Hakim Ziyech, and Joel Veltman. Meanwhile, Juventus' players had a night to forget.
Massimiliano Allegri was handed a disappointing result in the end, and as for Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo can't do it all alone. The Portuguese scored all 5 goals for the Old Lady in the knockout stages and last night's performance is an example that they rely too much on him.