It’s an action-packed midweek for Italian clubs in Europe. On Tuesday, Juventus beat Porto 3-2 after extra-time, but still ended up eliminated from the Champions League round of 16 due to away goals. However, Thursday night was a much more positive evening for Calcio fans, as Milan earned a vital away draw at Old Trafford, whilst Roma managed to put a foot within the Europa League quarter finals. So here are the major takeaways from the Juventus Milan and Roma matches in Europe.
Forgettable Season For Juventus
Although the Bianconeri have been trailing in the Scudetto race since the start of the campaign, some of their more optimistic fans were hoping to make up for their domestic shortcomings with an exciting run in Europe.
Nonetheless, for one reason or another, the Old Lady once again failed to progress against a supposedly weaker opposition.
With the 10th league title in a row looking beyond the reach of Andrea Pirlo’s men – at least for the moment – this season is turning out to be the worst in the past 10 years.
Therefore, it’s now up for the Juventus hierarchy to decide whether they want to consider it a transitional season, or opt to rebuild the squad once again.
Milan Rise To the Occasion
After a solid start to the campaign, Milan have been on a steady decline since January. A series of negative results saw the club hand over the top spot of the Serie A table to their neighbors Inter, and they had to rely on away goals against Red Star Belgrade to progress to the Europa League round of 16.
Nevertheless, when pitted against one of the best teams in the competition – if not the best – Milan produced a dominant display. Manchester United took the lead against the run of play, but the Rossoneri came away with a crucial away goal in the dying minutes.
Although Stefano Pioli’s men probably deserved a better result based on their display, it was nice to see Italy’s most successful club in Europe deliver on a big continental occasion.
Italian Roma Impress Again
Although the capital side had its ups and downs throughout the season, the Giallorossi has by far been the most impressive Italian club in the Europa League.
On Thursday night, Paulo Fonseca gave his former side a harsh blow, as Roma beat Shakhtar Donestsk in the 3-0 result.
The most impressive takeaway from the first leg is the fact that all three goals were scored by Italian players – Stephan El Shaarawy, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Gianluca Mancini.
In addition to these three Azzurri stars, the Romans also have Leonardo Spinazzola, Bryan Cristante and the currently-injured Nicoló Zaniolo among their ranks.
Therefore, with all due respect to Milan and Juventus, Roma might be considered as the rightful flag-bearer for Italian football at the moment.