Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri insisted he would play the same way again despite his side's "ugly" Champions League last-16 exit at the hands of Villarreal on Wednesday. 

The Bianconeri conceded three goals in the final 12 minutes to Unai Emery's side – two of which came from the penalty spot – to suffer a 3-0 defeat at the Allianz Stadium, following a 1-1 draw in the first leg three weeks ago. 

It was Juve's joint-heaviest home defeat in the Champions League and saw them dumped out at the last-16 stage for the third consecutive season. 

Despite that, Allegri has no regrets over the way he set his side up and refused to criticise his players. 

"I would play it the same way, as the players did well for 65 minutes," he told Amazon Prime Italia. "At a certain point, Villarreal put everyone in defence and only an incident could break that deadlock. 

"We have to accept this defeat, it's ugly, but I cannot complain about the lads as they played well. 

"This is football, sometimes it goes in your favour, sometimes it's against you. It's just about accepting that." 

Villarreal scored with all three of their shots on target to equal their biggest margin of victory in the Champions League. 

Juve largely struggled to break them down at the other end, and Allegri believes they lost their discipline after Gerard Moreno's opener from the penalty spot. 

"We tried to move the ball around," he added. "Villarreal had nine men behind the ball and didn't even try to counter at one stage. 

"We had our chances in the first half. They were aiming to either take it to extra time or make the most of incidents. 

"We were naive on the penalty and rather than turning it around, we conceded another two goals and lost control of the match." 

Juan Cuadrado's 50th Champions League appearance for Juve ended in disappointment, yet the Colombia international wasted little time in turning his attention to domestic action. 

"We had a good first half, didn't take our chances and that affected us," he said. "We tried to move the ball more to create spaces after the break, but Villarreal defended well and were happy to wait for a counter-attack. 

"We tried to do what the coach asked, move the ball around more to create spaces, but Villarreal were so well set out in defence that the only way of finding a way through was crosses. This is football. 

"We now have to fight to the end to do well in Serie A. It's natural to feel upset, but we still have objectives in Serie A and the Coppa Italia. We need to turn the page quickly and try to be at 100 per cent for those remaining matches." 

Chelsea's culture was pivotal to them overcoming tough circumstances to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, according to Thomas Tuchel. 

There were question marks over the Blues' ability to travel to Lille for the second leg of their Champions League games after sanctions were imposed on their owner Roman Abramovich by the United Kingdom government. 

Upon arrival in France, there were concerns the game may not have been able to go ahead after the European Union hit Abramovich with further sanctions. 

However, Chelsea - who are expected to be sold to new owners before the end of the season - were able to take on Lille and fought back after falling behind to Burak Yilmaz's first-half penalty. 

Goals from Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta sealed a 4-1 aggregate win over the Ligue 1 champions, with Tuchel claiming a record-breaking 32nd victory after 50 Champions League games as a coach. 

"The quarter-finals is a big step. We showed resilience and mentality to overcome difficulties. We did what was necessary. We dug in and got a deserved win. It's difficult here," Tuchel told BT Sport. 

"Chelsea has this kind of culture within the club where we work every day. What I found from day one was a football first mentality. Everybody pushes the first team every three days, everybody goes to the limit and is focused on football. 

"We've been trying to implement an atmosphere. This culture is already installed and this helps us now to focus with difficult and distracting times because it's always there. 

"We encourage the players. It feels so good we can still produce results and I'm proud." 

Chelsea struggled to create chances until Pulisic's goal on the stroke of half-time, while Xeka hit the post for Lille before Azpilicueta's goal. 

Tuchel said: "We weren't so good in the first half. The pitch was horrible and it made things complicated. It was a new pitch not ready to play on. The tactics weren't right in the first 20 minutes, I take responsibility. Then it was more fluid. 

"It was very important to calm everyone down. We were lucky with the post. 

"We hope and expect to carry on. We want to compete. It took a lot of sacrifice, we fought hard to be in the last eight. We're excited for the draw. We have a game in Middlesbrough three days later." 

Chelsea have now won four straight knockout games in the Champions League for just the second time. The last time they achieved that feat was in 2011-12, when they beat Bayern Munich on penalties in the final. 

Cesar Azpilicueta praised Chelsea's resilience after their win over Lille on Wednesday sent them into the Champions League quarter-finals. 

The Blues triumphed 2-1 in the second leg of the last-16 tie at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, going through 4-1 on aggregate. Yet it was not as easy as the scoreline suggested, with Burak Yilmaz putting Lille ahead in the first half. 

However, Christian Pulisic equalised on the stroke of half-time and Azpilicueta put the result beyond doubt when he completed the turnaround in the 71st minute. 

Chelsea are facing extraordinary circumstances following the freezing of owner Roman Abramovich's assets in the United Kingdom, but Azpilicueta showed pride in the team's ability to focus on the task at hand. 

"It has not been a normal last few weeks," Azpilicueta told BT Sport. "We are playing every three days, difficult games. We are happy to go through and win the game. 

"This group fights against everything. We know we have to do the best we can on the pitch. That is what we do. We stay together, we fight together. 

"Everything outside, the noise, it could sometimes be easier to let it go and lose the focus. But that's not us. We do everything we can that we have in our hands. From there, we have to keep playing every three days." 

The 32-year-old also scored a rare goal for Chelsea, only his 16th in 463 appearances for the club. 

"I'm not very used to scoring, so I'm happy to score and put us through the quarter-finals," he said. 

"The first half, I don't think we started very well. They were very active, we knew it was going to be difficult. We made a few mistakes, they were dangerous, but the reaction was very good." 

Chelsea will face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday. 

Thomas Tuchel set a record for the most Champions League wins after 50 games as a coach in Chelsea's 2-1 win over Lille on Wednesday. 

The Blues' triumph at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in their last-16 second leg put Tuchel on 32 victories from a half-century of matches. 

It sent him past the previous benchmark set by Zinedine Zidane, who managed 31 wins in his first 50 Champions League games in the dugout. 

Chelsea had to come from behind to complete a 4-1 aggregate success against Lille, though. Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta overturned Burak Yilmaz's opener from the penalty spot to send them into the quarter-finals.

Manchester United star Paul Pogba is offering a reward for information after his home was burgled on Tuesday.

The burglary took place while the midfielder was appearing in the second leg of United's Champions League last-16 clash with Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford.

In a statement posted on his social media channels, Pogba revealed he subsequently rushed home "not knowing if our children were safe and unharmed."

The France international said the intruders were in his home for five minutes while his children were asleep in their bedroom.

Cesar Azpilicueta scored the winner as Chelsea came from behind to beat Lille 2-1 and advance to the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday. 

Amid questions over Chelsea's ability to travel and play in Europe because of EU sanctions imposed on their owner Roman Abramovich, the Blues kept their continental campaign alive by seeing out a 4-1 aggregate success in the last-16 tie. 

Burak Yilmaz put Lille in front at Stade Pierre-Mauroy when he drilled home a spot-kick, but Christian Pulisic restored parity in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. 

Xeka hit the post for Lille in the second half but Azpilicueta ended their hopes of progression and ensured it was holders Chelsea who were in the hat for the quarter-final draw. 

Chelsea struggled to turn their dominance of possession in the opening half an hour into chances and saw Andreas Christensen hobble off injured in the 33rd minute. 

Lille were awarded a penalty when Jorginho was deemed to have handled the ball after referee Davide Massa reviewed the video footage, with Yilmaz firing home to halve the aggregate deficit. 

However, Chelsea restored their two-goal cushion in the tie before half-time when Pulisic guided Jorginho's excellent throughball into the bottom-left corner. 

Yilmaz angled a header wide shortly after the restart, while Antonio Rudiger bent a half-volley narrowly outside the post from the edge of the box on the hour mark. 

Xeka headed a cross from Yilmaz against the upright before Azpilicueta met Mason Mount's cross at the back post and steered the ball past Leo Jardim to clinch victory in the 71st minute.

What does it mean? History for Tuchel 

Thomas Tuchel was taking charge of his 50th Champions League game at Stade Pierre-Mauroy and he made history by beating Lille. 

It was his 32nd victory in the competition, which is the most by a manager upon reaching a half-century of games. He surpassed the mark set by Zinedine Zidane, who won 31 of his first 50 matches as a coach in the Champions League. 

Cesar's a lad you can count on 

Azpilicueta marked moving level with Didier Drogba on 74 major European appearances for Chelsea with a finish the iconic striker would have been proud of. Frank Lampard (115) and John Terry (121) are the only outfielders to have played more continental games for the Blues. 

Burak fights back 

Yilmaz was an unlikely hero in Lille's Ligue 1 title run last season and he did his best to help them pull off another shock against Chelsea. He became the third oldest player to score in the Champions League at 36 years and 244 days old – behind only Ryan Giggs (37 years, 148 days) and Paolo Maldini (36 years, 333 days). 

What's next? 

Chelsea have an FA Cup quarter-final at Middlesbrough on Saturday, when Lille travel to Nantes in Ligue 1. 

Juventus were dumped out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage for the third consecutive season after a dismal 3-0 second-leg defeat to Villarreal on Wednesday. 

The two sides drew 1-1 in the first leg in Spain three weeks ago and Juve looked the more likely side to progress to the quarter-finals for much of the match at the Allianz Stadium. 

Unai Emery's side produced a sensational final 12 minutes, though, sealing a memorable win thanks to penalties from Gerard Moreno and Arnaut Danjuma either side of Pau Torres' close-range finish. 

Massimiliano Allegri's men looked crestfallen at the end as their 12-game unbeaten run came to an end in spectacular circumstances.

 

Harry Maguire called for Manchester United players to rally around one another and stick together after their Champions League last-16 exit to Atletico Madrid.

United managed a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Atletico to keep hopes alive of making just a third quarter-final in the competition since finishing runners-up under Alex Ferguson in 2010-11.

But a Renan Lodi first-half header condemned United to a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford on Tuesday, sealing a 2-1 aggregate triumph for Diego Simeone's battling visitors.

That ended United's hopes of silverware for yet another season, with Ralf Rangnick's remaining goal being to secure a top-four finish - a race that looks set to go to the wire.

Indeed, fourth-placed Arsenal could be seven points clear of United by the time Rangnick's team host Leicester City on April 2, but captain Maguire knows now is no time for self-pity.

"Of course it's going to be a disappointing couple of weeks now," he told reporters.

"The lads need to go, have a rest but make sure that we come back fighting for the end of the season.

"We've got nine important Premier League games that we need to try to win every game that we play in, stick together.

"My job as captain obviously has a big role in that as well and making sure that we stick together and we finish the season strong – because we owe it to the fans."

United were left frustrated by referee Slavko Vincic as they were left bewildered by the decision to not award a foul on Anthony Elanga moments before Lodi converted at the culmination of a slick Atleti counter at the other end.

"I think the style in Europe, it's not for me to really comment on," Maguire told beIN Sports when asked of the incident. "But, yeah, I think every time you touch someone, it's a foul.

"I mean Anthony [Elanga] has a header in the first couple of minutes. Heads the ball over the bar, the keeper probably comes and clatters him and he gets the foul, so it's a different style.

"I think – as a team – we've maybe got learn from it, got to grow from it and don't lose our discipline.

"I felt like the last 20 to 30 minutes of the game we should have been pushing and creating a little bit more but we got too frustrated, we started losing our shape and we lost momentum in the game."

Marcel Desailly has labelled Paul Pogba a "lazy" player who tends to shy away from his defensive responsibilities for Manchester United.

France international Pogba was left out of United's starting line-up for Tuesday's clash with Atletico Madrid and only played the final 23 minutes of the last-16 tie. Atleti progressed 2-1 on aggregate thanks to Renan Lodi's first-half header.

Interim manager Ralf Rangnick instead opted for Scott McTominay and Fred in midfield, with Pogba and Nemanja Matic later arriving from the substitutes' bench.

Pogba's absence as one of three changes from last weekend's 3-2 win against Tottenham came as a surprise given he had started United's past five matches in all competitions.

However, fellow World Cup winner Desailly felt Rangnick was justified in leaving out Pogba.

"Quality-wise, you cannot compare Pogba to Fred, McTominay or Matic," Desailly told beIN SPORTS ahead of the game. 

"But he's lazy. If you allow him to be a playmaker behind [Cristiano] Ronaldo he can take advantage of it. 

"When it goes well, he's fantastic. When it doesn't go well, offensively he hasn't brought what everyone was expecting.

"At the same time he cheats a little bit and doesn't drop back to help with the midfield defensively."

Pogba's arrival in the second half could not inspire United as they slumped out of the Champions League and saw their last chance of silverware this season slip from their grasp.

It was Pogba's 23rd appearance of the season, with the 29-year-old having missed an extended period through injury.

While Pogba's defensive work was questioned by Desailly, the midfielder's creativity should not be doubted – only Bruno Fernandes (13) has more assists this term than his nine.

He is due to be out of contract at the end of the campaign and has been linked with Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and former club Juventus.

United have now been eliminated from six of their last eight Champions League knockout ties, having won 13 of the previous such 16 in the competition.

Chelsea's Champions League match against Lille is set to take place as scheduled on Wednesday, UEFA has confirmed.

Last week, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom government in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

His assets have been frozen and restrictions have been placed on Chelsea, who cannot sell any new match tickets or merchandise and have caps on the amount they are able to spend to facilitate games being played both home and away.

Abramovich was subsequently sanctioned by the European Union (EU), which cast further doubt over the second leg of Chelsea's last-16 tie in Lille.

However, Thomas Tuchel's team have travelled to northern France and UEFA has confirmed that the match is set to go ahead.

"As it stands, the match is taking place as scheduled," UEFA told Stats Perform on Wednesday morning (GMT).

UEFA added that it "is fully committed to always implementing relevant EU and international sanctions".

A statement from European football's governing body explained: "Our understanding is that the present case is assessed in the context of the licence issued in the UK which allows Chelsea FC to continue minimum football activity whilst providing a safeguard that no financial gain will result for Mr Abramovich.

"We will work with the EU and relevant member states to ensure we have full clarity and remain in lockstep with all relevant and applicable measures in line with latest developments."

On Tuesday, Chelsea asked for their FA Cup match against Middlesbrough next weekend to be played behind closed doors in the interest of "sporting integrity", as the Blues are unable to sell tickets to any travelling away fans.

However, that request angered Middlesbrough and Chelsea subsequently withdrew it after widespread criticism.

Tuchel's side lead Lille 2-0 from the first leg thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic at Stamford Bridge three weeks ago.

Thomas Tuchel will expect Chelsea to mark his 50th Champions League game as a boss with a win at Lille and Juve will be favourites to knock Villarreal out on Wednesday.

There is huge uncertainty at Stamford Bridge after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale before having his assets frozen by the United Kingdom government, but the London club have won four consecutive games.

The holders travel to Lille for the second leg of the round-of-16 tie with a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from the in-form Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic.

Juve and Villarreal will start their showdown at the Allianz Stadium locked at 1-1 after Dani Parejo equalised following Dusan Vlahovic's early strike.

Stats Perform picks out the standout Opta data ahead of the two games.

 

Lille v Chelsea

Havertz has become the Blues' main man, scoring four goals in his past three matches and six in seven.

Chelsea head coach Tuchel has won 31 of his 49 matches and can set a record for the most victories in his first 50 games as a boss in the competition with another success in Lille, as he is currently level with Zinedine Zidane's tally.

Lille's chances of forcing their way back into the tie appear to be slim, as not only do they trail by two goals, they have lost their past three Champions League games against the Premier League club.

They have also been eliminated from each of their three previous European knockout ties after losing the first leg.

The last side to progress against Champions League holders after failing to score in the opening leg was Arsenal versus Milan in 2007-08, with the first leg a goalless draw.

Each of Chelsea's past 11 wins in the Champions League have come with a clean sheet, 10 of which have come under Tuchel in just 14 matches.

Juventus v Villarreal

January signing Vlahovic set a record for the quickest goal by a Champions League debutant when he was on target after only 32 seconds of the first leg.

Juve are without a win in each of their past seven first-leg games in the Champions League (D3 L4), going on to be eliminated from four of their previous five knockout ties in the competition. 

Villarreal have won their past two away games in the Champions League, the same number of victories as they managed across the 15 such matches beforehand.

Juve have only lost three of their previous 23 Champions League matches at home to Spanish sides in this competition, winning 12 and drawing eight.

This will be Villarreal’s first visit to Juventus in any competition as they scent a place in the quarter-finals.

Juan Cuadrado is in line to make his 50th appearance for Bianconeri in the Champions League. He has provided 11 assists for the Serie A giants in the competition, which is the most by any player in the period since he first joined the club in 2015.

After knocking Ajax out of the Champions League, Benfica’s Alex Grimaldo revealed Rui Costa provided timely pre-match motivation.

Tuesday’s hard-fought 1-0 win in Amsterdam put Benfica through 3-2 on aggregate, and the majority of the match saw Benfica defensively scrambling and scrapping.

It was only the club’s second win in the last 15 away matches in the Champions League, the other being a 3-2 win over AEK Athens in the 2018-19 group stage.

The influential Grimaldo embodied the team’s determination on an individual level, playing a full 90 minutes and seeing the result through despite multiple medical treatments.

The 26-year-old revealed the team received ample motivation beforehand from Rui Costa, the legendary former Benfica player and sporting director who is now president, following Luis Filipe Vieira's arrest in June.

"Before the game, he motivated the players, told us to dream and enjoy these types of games and in the end that’s what we did," Grimaldo told Eleven post-match.

"It was a game of great responsibility, because we know that in the league things are not going well, but we give everything for this club. We had the dream of reaching the quarter-finals and we did it."

Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could not even transform Manchester United’s fortunes, according to former Red Devil Rio Ferdinand.

United crashed out at the Champions League last-16 stage at the hands of Atletico Madrid, whose 1-0 victory at Old Trafford sealed a 2-1 aggregate win for Diego Simeone's side on Tuesday.

That meant United have failed to make a Champions League semi-final since 2011, when they eventually lost to Barcelona in the final at Wembley under Alex Ferguson.

The nature of the loss to Atleti brought the direction of the club into sharp focus, but Ferdinand believes more systemic change at the club is pertinent, as opposed to squad investment.

Ralf Rangnick remains in interim charge of United until the end of the season, and Ferdinand wants to see a manager brought in that can deliver success and drag the Red Devils out of an underwhelming period.

"What it [the loss] does show you is that it doesn't matter what players you get together, what talent you get together, you need someone to harness that," he told BT Sport post-match.

"You need someone to harness that. You need a manager to come in and put it all together.

"If you bring in Mbappe and Haaland this summer, United are not going to win the league. It doesn't matter who you bring in, it needs to be from the top down."

United are now out of contention for silverware once again, but they will look to make amends at home to Leicester City on April 2 as they pursue Champions League qualification in the Premier League.

Diego Simeone felt Atletico Madrid produced one of their best team performances of the season to get past Manchester United in the Champions League.

Atleti have struggled in the defence of their LaLiga title, with inconsistent form leaving them 15 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid and in a battle to secure a top-four spot with 10 games remaining.

However, after defeating United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday to book their place in the Champions League quarter-finals, Atletico made it six unbeaten in all competitions for the first time since starting the campaign with a run of seven without defeat.

Renan Lodi's first-half goal ultimately clinched a 2-1 aggregate success over the Red Devils, but it was the team display as Atletico shut up shop in the second half that left Simeone elated.

"I'm happy. So many people work hard so we can have these moments," Simeone told Movistar Plus.

"We were competitive, not ashamed of playing defensively, and knowing when to attack.

"The goal came, which gave us the advantage, and in the second half there was a brilliant team effort – one of the best this season – which leaves me satisfied.

"We started with a 5-3-2 then changed to a 5-4-1 with Antoine Griezmann on the right of midfield and Renan Lodi growing more and more on the left.

"Lodi's doing really well. He had to wait a long time [to get in the side], but football is marvellous because when you train hard and are ready to go, there's always a chance for you.

"The defence were brilliant and Jan Oblak helped us remain calm throughout. It was a real team effort.

"The team has showed a different spirit since the Osasuna game [a 3-0 win on February 19]."

Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes criticised a lack of leadership and planning at Manchester United following their Champions League exit at home to Atletico Madrid.

With Renan Lodi's first-half goal putting Atleti up 2-1 on aggregate, United eventually went out tamely as they struggled to create much of substance while chasing the result.

According to former United centre-back Ferdinand, the biggest difference between the two teams was not on the pitch but rather with Ralf Rangnick and Diego Simeone in the respective dugouts.

"The difference between the two teams, the Atletico team, they had a group of reliable men, reliable men who would go out there and do anything the manager asked of them," Ferdinand told BT Sport.

"They understand the job at hand and they work together as a team. Whereas the other team, Man Utd, they’re looking at each other like, 'Who's going to pull us out of this? Who's going to pull the magic trick out of the hat?'

"It's not about the team getting through this. It's a moment of brilliance from an individual and it's a very different way of working."

Ferdinand hedged his comments, though, saying the club needs to patiently progress when they bring in a manager, a process which has reportedly already begun behind the scenes.

"Once you get the manager, getting the right person, you're talking minimum of two, three years before you can think about challenging, and with Manchester City and Liverpool it's a high bar," Ferdinand continued.

Scholes delivered a particularly blunt assessment, asserting interim manager Rangnick is not meeting expectations with the squad he has at his disposal.

"The coach is a massive part of it, getting a proper coach. This isn't a terrible group of players, if you give them structure and a way of playing, there's some real talent in this squad. It's not as talented as the teams above them, we know that," he said.

"The very first thing this club needs to do, to get anywhere near winning anything, is get a proper coach. Get a coach that suits them and give them a couple of years to build a squad that will challenge.

"Atletico are not a better team than Man United, but they've got a better coach. If he [Simeone] was coaching Man United, they go through that game.

"What it comes from is leadership. It comes from a coach who demands that and will get that out of his players. I don't want to keep having a go at this manager. He seems real nice, I love his interviews, he's very honest, but how he was chosen to be manager of this club – whether it's for six months, six weeks, six games – I don't know."

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