Defender says his team can win Champions League after Celtic win
Leonardo Bonucci believes that Juventus have what it takes to win the Champions League this term after eliminating Celtic in the round of 16.
The Serie A champions recorded a 5-0 win on aggregate over the Scottish champions to book their ticket for the quarter-finals, and Bonucci is optimistic about his side’s chances at European glory.
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Juventus celebrate after beating Celtic in Turin. Pic/AFP
“The dream continues. Anything’s possible when you get to this stage, you just need a bit of luck to go all the way. There’s little difference between the sides, they’re all very strong,” the defender told reporters.
“Celtic looked to get back into the tie with long balls for (Georgios) Samaras, but we handled them well and did well to pounce. And then there’s Gigi (Buffon), who also put in a great performance tonight,” he said.
Strikes in either half from Alessandro Matri and Fabio Quagliarella earned Juventus a comfortable 2-0 win over Celtic and a place in the quarter finals for the first time in seven years.
Trailing 3-0 from a disastrous first leg at Celtic Park last month, the Scottish champions were left needing a “minor miracle”, in the words of manager Neil Lennon, if they were to cause a huge upset at Juventus Stadium.
But despite a positive Celtic performance and several clear-cut chances in the opening half, the Hoops never posed a real threat to the Italian champions, who will now relish a first appearance in the last eight since their exit to Arsenal in 2006.
With Juventus keeping a clean sheet in their past five Champions League games at home, it was no surprise Lennon called the stadium a “fortress”.
PSG through
Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw with Valencia at the Parc des Princes allowed them to progress 3-2 on aggregate.
They had to survive something of a scare, however, with Jonas putting the visitors in front on the night 10 minutes into the second half.
Valencia had looked very much out of this last-16 tie when they were 2-0 down going into the final minute of the first leg last month, but after pulling a late goal back there, Jonas’ strike left them needing just one more to complete a remarkable turnaround.
Alas, it was not to be for the Spaniards, as Ezequiel Lavezzi — who had also scored at the Mestalla — levelled on the night in the 66th minute and PSG held out to secure a place in the last eight for the first time since 1995.
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