Juventus coach: Barcelona are joint-favourites for European glory
Massimiliano Allegri felt Barça's epic comeback at Camp Nou on Wednesday was "beautiful" but bad news for the other teams still vying for glory.
Barcelona's engrossing path to the Champions League quarter-finals left football supporters open-mouthed and disbelieving. But one man, Juventus coach Max Allegri, is less enamored with the outcome of Wednesday night's unscripted drama.
Barcelona are the favourites
"With all due respect to Paris Saint Germain, to have Barcelona in the quarter finals – and I know we still have to get there ourselves – is not pleasing," he told reporters ahead of Friday's home Serie A match with AC Milan.
"It is normal that now Barcelona are favourites to win the Champions League along with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid."
Champions League history
Barça's Sergi Roberto sealed the greatest comeback in the competition's history against Paris Saint-Germain at Camp Nou on Wednesday, overturning a four-goal first-leg deficit to win 6-1 on the night and 6-5 on aggregate.
Three of their goals came after the 88th minute and Allegri, recently linked with the imminently-vacant Barcelona job, conceded it was an occasion for the history books.
"It was a beautiful evening of football which I think will remain in the annals of football history, because I don't think any team has ever pulled off such a good comeback.
“It wasn't easy for them, it was a good and very intense game. It wasn't great technically, compared to what Barcelona have always shown the world, but that is why football is beautiful and strange - there are situations no-one can predict.".
Juventus must avoid complacency
Allegri wants Barcelona's thrilling turnaround to serve as a warning for Juve when they play their own second leg against Porto in Turin on Tuesday with a 2-0 lead in hand.
He continued: "Above all, that should make us understand and reflect that on Tuesday we have a game in which we have a two-goal lead and in the league we have an eight-point lead but it is not over.
"So we have to take things one game at a time, without looking at what might happen in three months."
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