Juventus fail to make UCL quarter-finals for 3rd straight season since Ronaldo's arrival

Things haven't been working in favour of Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo ever since his appointment last summer. The defending Serie A champions appear to be out of sync in their league title defence. The Champions League appeared to be their key hope to turn the season around. But Pirlo's men could not hold onto the challenge from FC Porto at home, as they were knocked out of the competition for the third time in a row.

Juventus vs Porto UCL results: Sergio Oliveira bags opener from spot 

Juventus were already under immense pressure following their first leg debacle away from home. FC Porto had bagged a single-goal lead from the first leg after the game ended 2-1. It was expected that the Bianconeri would imitate their 2018-19 season's performance, when Cristiano Ronaldo struck a hat-trick past Atletico Madrid in the second leg, following the Rojiblancos' 2-0 lead in the first leg. 

But the former Real Madrid superstar was largely ineffective against the Portuguese outfit as they went on to broke the deadlock in the 19th minute. Sergio Oliveira struck the opener from the spot after Merih Demiral gifted a penalty following a foul on Mehdi Taremi. 

UCL results: Sergio Oliveira's brace compels Juventus UCL exit 

Federico Chiesa bagged the equaliser in the second half though. The Italian midfielder struck a blistering shot into the top right corner with Ronaldo providing a crucial assist. Juventus received a boost when Taremi received his yellow card in the 54th minute, resulting in his sending off. And Chiesa made it 2-1 in the 63rd minute as he timed a perfect header to meet Juan Cuadrado's cross. 

But the game stood equal on aggregate until the 90th minute, following which an extra-time game was played out. And Oliveira went on to put his side in the front on aggregate after Wojciech Szczęsny failed to stop his scintillating set-piece. Although Adrien Rabiot pulled a goal back two minutes later, FC Porto went on to win the tie courtesy of the away-goal rule. 

Juventus UCL exit: Club yet to advance past final eight since Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival 

Defeat in the Juventus vs Porto clash spells trouble for the Old Lady and also casts doubts on the team's performance since the arrival of Ronaldo. The Portuguese international was signed in 2018 with the main objective of winning the Champions League. But the club have failed to edge past the quarter-final for three successive seasons since his arrival. 

In Ronaldo's first season with the Turin outfit, AFC Ajax knocked them out in the quarter-final with a 3-2 aggregate scoreline. Last season, Juventus were knocked out by Lyon from the round of 16 after the game ended 2-2, with the French outfit advancing on the away-goal rule. Thus, Ronaldo's purported reason to seal a transfer to Italy seems ineffective until now. Notably, Juventus went on to play two finals within four seasons prior to his arrival. 

Image courtesy: Champions League Twitter