TheCable

BY JONATHAN LEDGER

The Champions League Round of 16 kicked off on Tuesday night and it lived up to its billing with Juventus letting a two-goal lead slip to draw an entertaining 2-2 while Manchester City routed Basel with four unreplied goals.

Juventus flew out of the blocks and opened scoring in the 3rd minute, a careless free-kick conceded by Ben Davies and Miralem Pjanic’s smart delivery was met on the volley by the in-form Gonzalo Higuain to put the Turin giants in the ascendancy.

Juve doubled their lead and Higuain got his brace in the 9th minute via a converted penalty kick. The Serie A leaders won the spot kick after Ben Davies’ reckless lunge on Federico Bernardeschi.

Tottenham crept back into the game with a patient approach with Belgium’s Moussa Dembele and almost halved the deficit on 25 minutes but veteran Italian goalkeeper was equal to Harry Kane’s central header from a Christian Eriksen cross.

Juventus responded in kind and the bubbly Higuain missed the bottom corner by inches following a swift counter attack.

The chances flew in thick and fast from both sides, especially for the North London club and they duly responded in the 35th minute. Talisman striker Kane beat the offside trap to run unto a threaded through ball from Erik Lamela to round Buffon and convert his 7th Champions League goal of the season.

Tottenham had The Old Lady on the ropes as they pushed them further into their half and had chances through Kane, Alli and Erikson but could not find an equalizer. Tottenham were undone by further woeful defending at the back when Sergie Aurier conceded another penalty from a reckless tackle on Douglas Costa as the winger broke into the penalty area.

They were however saved by a woeful penalty tick from Higuain, the argentine striker hitting the bar to end a scintillating first half of football.

The intensity of the game dropped in the second half but chances kept on for both teams and it was Tottenham who equalized in the 71st minute when Eriksen scored from a free kick awarded for a foul on Dele Alli by Giorgio Chiellini just outside the penalty area. The game continued from one end to the other but chances were at a premium as Tottenham were forced to settle for a draw and will hope to complete the comeback at Wembly stadium on the 7th of March.

In the other match of the night, Manchester City took complete control of their tie against Basel with a commanding 4-0 win at the St. Jakob-Park stadium. Swiss champions Basel couldn’t keep up the challenge against Manchester City for a quarter of an hour, the premier League leaders breaking their spirit in the 14th minute when assist king, Kevin de Bruyne’s delivery from a corner kick was met at the near post by a header from German midfielder Ikay Gundogan. City doubled their lead four minutes later through summer signing Bernardo Silva, who converted on the volley after Raheem Sterling surged through Basel’s midfield.

Manchester City’s striker and all-time record goalscorer Sergio Aguero soon joined the party as he blasted the ball to the bottom corner with the goalkeeper rooted to the spot. Gundogan got his brace and City’s fourth when he was afforded time and space from 25 yards out bend a curler into the top corner, making the second leg a dead rubber match.