- Juventus 1-2 Manchester United
- Ronaldo with superb opener (65)
- Mata levels with late free-kick
- Sandro scores own goal (90)
- Champions League Group H
- Valencia beat Young Boys
- United play City in PL on Sunday
Manchester United completed a dramatic late smash-and-grab raid to beat the Juventus.
Cristiano Ronaldo looked to have condemned his former club to defeat with a stunning volleyed finish in the 65 minute.
But Juan Mata, on as a second-half substitute, got United back on level terms with a clinically-dispatched free-kick in the 86 minute.
Then, in the 89 minute, the ball was bundled into his own net by Alex Sandro, condemning Juventus to a first defeat of the season and taking United closer to a place in the last 16.
The win, against all the odds after Ronaldo’s wonder strike, means United are now just two points off Juventus, who lead Group H, and two ahead of Valencia in third place.
Victory was also the perfect launchpad for United to go into Sunday’s crunch derby showdown with local rivals and Premier League leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
United boss Jose Mourinho could not help himself at the final whistle, striding on to the pitch and oading the Juve fans by cupping his hand to his right ear in a sarcastic manner.
Mourinho was confronted by Juve defender Giorgio Chiellini for his inflammatory actions and had to be escorted off the pitch by United staff as tensions boiled over at the end.
Juve fans had taunted Mourinho in the game at Old Trafford a fortnight ago, with him responding by holding up three fingers to denote the Treble he won with their rivals Inter in 2010.
Sub Marcus Rashford should have made it 3-1 in added time but saw his shot saved, although United held out for a famous win over the Serie A leaders.
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ALLEGRI: WE MUST BE BETTER
Juventus were relatively comfortable in winning 1-0 at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture.
However, they could have been pegged back after failing to close the game out and Massimiliano Allegri wants his side to be better.
“We must be careful, we need a better performance than the one we had in Manchester, they can be dangerous at any moment and there’s a lot at stake.
“We have the chance to reach our first target for the season by qualifying for the next round of the Champions League, then we’ll dive into Serie A.”
MOURINHO FACING BAN?
Some interesting news coming out before this game as the FA are to appeal an independent regulatory commission’s decision to clear Jose Mourinho of improper conduct.
Mourinho’s charge for alleged abusive language following last month’s game between Manchester United and Newcastle was found not proven.
The United manager requested a non-personal hearing and the club said they presented a strong defence against the FA’s charge which was dropped by an independent panel.
However, the FA have decided to appeal, which could result in a touchline ban for Mourinho.
MAN UTD TEAM NEWS
Team to play Juventus: De Gea, Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw, Matic, Herrera, Pogba, Lingard, Sanchez, Martial
Subs: Romero, Bailly, Darmian, Fred, Fellaini, Mata, Rashford
MAN UTD TEAM NEWS
Team to play Juventus: De Gea, Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw, Matic, Herrera, Pogba, Lingard, Sanchez, Martial
Subs: Romero, Bailly, Darmian, Fred, Fellaini, Mata, Rashford