Champions League - Aston Villa v Juventus - Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain
Credit: Reuters Photo
Birmingham, England: Aston Villa had to settle for a 0-0 draw against depleted Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday after a last-gasp effort by Morgan Rogers was chalked off for a foul on Juventus keeper Michele Di Gregorio.
Villa thought they had won it at the death to end a six-game winless streak when Di Gregorio failed to catch a free kick, but Diego Carlos fouled the Juventus keeper as Rogers was lashing the ball into the net, and boos poured out from Villa fans after the final whistle.
The match was far from a classic, with Juventus seemingly content to keep possession, and both sides squandered chances, with Villa's best coming from Lucas Digne who hammered a free kick off the crossbar seconds before halftime.
Midway through the second half, Francisco Conceicao's short-range header from a corner looked destined for the back of Villa's net but Villa's World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emi Martinez dived to get his fingertips to the ball. Television replays showed a mere sliver of the ball failed to cross the goalline.
Villa captain John McGinn almost gave the home side the lead when he latched on to a pass from Leon Bailey in the 70th minute, but the Scotland international's shot was blocked by Manuel Locatelli.
Unai Emery's Villa, who had kicked off their Champions League campaign with three victories and three clean sheets, are ninth in the table after five games.
Their Italian visitors, who had are unbeaten in Serie A this season but had only 14 outfield players available on Wednesday, are 19th in the 36-team table. The top eight qualify automatically for the last 16, with the next 16 sides entering a two-leg playoff to try to join them.
Victory would have been a big confidence boost for Emery's team, who have not won since their 2-0 Champions League victory over Bologna on Oct. 22 and have slipped to eighth in the Premier League table with one win in their last five games.