25 November 2015
Grigoris Kastanos’ brace helped Juventus’ Primavera seal maximum points against Manchester City in Vercelli on Wednesday afternoon, a result which sees them stay in the hunt for a place in the UEFA Youth League knockout stages.
The victory, combined with Sevilla’s draw against Borussia Monchengladbach, means that Fabio Grosso’s young guns travel to Andalusia knowing that another win would see them leapfrog the Rojiblancos into second place in Group D and therefore qualify for the competition’s round of 16.
An evenly-matched contest saw the Bianconeri and table-topping City enjoy eight shots apiece, but it would be the hosts who created a greater number of clear-cut chances over the course of the encounter.
After a tight opening period, Kastanos put his team in front in the 26th minute with a powerful drive past opposition stopper Angus Gunn.
The goal saw Juve step up a gear and they looked the likelier to net the next, which is precisely what they did just shy of the hour-mark. Once again it was the Cypriot international to get his name on the score-sheet, converting Roman Macek’s assist with aplomb.
At 2-0, Grosso’s charges were in control of proceedings and managed to keep a strong City side largely at bay until the 92nd minute, when Thierry Ambrose pulled back what would prove to be a consolation strike.
At exactly the same time, Borussia Monchengladbach nicked an equaliser in their match with Sevilla, ensuring that the Spaniards remain on eight points, only two above the third-placed Bianconeri with just one fixture remaining in the group stages.
Speaking at the final whistle, Grosso said: “We’re on a great run of form at the moment, our approach to this encounter was spot on. We were determined to win and keep alive our hopes of reaching the knockout stages and we’ve succeeded.
“City are an excellent outfit, but we’ve got plenty of talent in our ranks and keep working hard to improve. These boys undoubtedly have the wherewithal to establish themselves as fine players in the future.”
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