Nantes 0-3 Juventus (agg 1-4): Massimiliano Allegri shakes some of the mounting pressure as Angel Di Maria delivers masterclass to safely put Italian giants into the hat for the last-16
- Angel Di Maria scored a brilliant hat-trick as Juventus avoided embarrassment
- Pressure had been building on Massimiliano Allegri ahead of the Nantes tie
- Juventus safely through to Friday’s last-16 draw where they could face Arsenal
Juventus avoided embarrassment in Brittany as a brilliant Angel Di Maria hat-trick saw them overcome Nantes 3-0 on the night, 4-1 on aggregate.
A 1-1 draw in Turin last week had seen many begin to question Massimiliano Allegri and his tactics, with speculation swirling that his own players were doing such.
However, they offered as resounding riposte to that as any as they blew the comparative French minnows away inside the first half. A red card to defender Nicolas Pallois awarded Juventus the chance to double their advantage from the spot after Di Maria’s wonderstrike gave them a 1-0 lead inside five minutes.
The Argentine duly dispatched the spot-kick and his header in the second half added gloss to the performance. They will be in the hat for Friday’s last-16 draw.
More follows.
Angel Di Maria scored a brilliant hat-trick as Juventus safely advanced to the last-16
The Argentine’s performance dissipated some of the mounting pressure on Massimiliano Allegri
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