Man City on brink of elimination, after defeat at Juventus

Manchester City were plunged further into crisis on Wednesday after falling to a 2-0 defeat at Juventus which threatens their chances of reaching the last 16.

Second-half goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie were enough for Juve to inflict a seventh defeat in 10 matches on Pep Guardiola’s struggling City.

English champions City languish in 22nd place in Europe’s top club competition after having collected just eight points from their six matches in the revamped league phase.

That leaves City just one point above the bottom 12 places and elimination, with matches against Paris Saint-Germain and Club Brugge remaining, a position that would have been unthinkable at the start of the season.

But City have unravelled in less than six weeks and are way off the pace both in the Premier League and Champions League thanks to just one win, over Nottingham Forest, since the end of October.

Vlahovic’s header, his 10th goal of the season, and substitute McKennie’s fine volley with 15 minutes remaining also snapped a frustrating four-match run of draws for Juventus and brightened the mood among fans who have been disappointed with Thiago Motta’s opening few months as coach.

Juve had drawn 11 of their 20 matches in all competitions coming into Wednesday’s match, but a rugged display moved them up to 11 points and ended with fans roaring with joy and colouring the stands of the Allianz Stadium with flag waving.

Motta’s team are level with fellow Serie A outfit Atalanta and two points from the top eight positions which give direct access to the last 16.

There was little suggestion of Juve grabbing such a big result after a very drab opening period in frigid Turin, where two off-form teams ineffectually bumped up against one another.

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