Juventus 2-1 Lyon (2-2 aggregate): 5 talking points as Cristiano Ronaldo's heroics go in vain | UCL 2019-20

#3 Gonzalo Higuain was anonymous for Juventus

Cagliari Calcio v Juventus - Serie A

It’s safe to say that Gonzalo Higuain hasn’t enjoyed the best of seasons for Juventus. In 44 appearances, the 32-year-old has only scored 11 goals, a total that will all but justify his potential departure in the summer. Deployed by Sarri as the focal point of tonight’s attack, the Argentinean failed to deliver any form of attacking threat.

This is why his manager has sometimes played Dybala as a false 9 ahead of him this season. In a poor display, Higuain had 28 touches of the ball in which he was dispossessed 3 times, made 9 passes, attempted 3 shots and completed 0 take-ons.

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#2 Rudi Garcia outwitted Maurizio Sarri tactically

Olympique Lyon v Juventus - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg

When he left Roma in rather unceremonious fashion, many thought that it would spell the end of Rudi Garcia’s managerial career. He followed that controversy with an unsuccessful stint at Marseille before he would find himself in Lyon. Although the team underperformed and finished 7th in Ligue 1, this quarter-final victory could well make this season a success for the French side.

Despite only having 37.7% of possession, Garcia’s men put in an expert defensive display. They put in a real shift but were also clever on the counter-attack, making the right decisions to slow the game down and keep Juventus at bay. Across the 90 minutes, they won 9 aerial duels, made 13 interceptions, 11 tackles and an impressive 26 clearances.

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#1 The UEFA Champions League is Cristiano Ronaldo’s competition

Juventus v Olympique Lyon - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg

No player in the history of football has scored more goals in the UCL than Cristiano Ronaldo. This is his competition and no player can contest that. Reminiscent to last season’s heroics, Ronaldo was tasked again with carrying this Juventus team on his back. He tried to do just that. With the world watching and the pressure on, Ronaldo would initiate a comeback with a penalty just before half-time.

In the second half, the comeback continued with Ronaldo releasing a left-foot rocket into the top corner with 30 minutes to go. Alas, there is only so much one man can do and when your 10 other teammates don’t turn up, it makes it near impossible to complete the task.