TURIN (Italy) (AFP) – 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.
City now have the Manchester derby at the weekend, hardly the sort of fixture they need in the midst of this dismal run from.
"We have to get points, we'll go to Paris to try and do that and the same goes for the final match at home," said Guardiola to Amazon Prime in Italy.
"We can get out of this period by playing like we did today. We lost very few balls and I think we played very well... they deserve more because they give everything."
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.
JUVE SINK CITY
"The whole team played well, we did everything that we had to do. It's a fantastic result and can push us on for the rest of the season," said Vlahovic.
"We're lacking a bit of experience because we're a very young side but here at Juve there isn't time, you have to get results straight away."
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.
The best chance of the half came five minutes before the break when Michele Di Gregorio did well to charge down Erling Haaland as the Norway striker tried to flick home Kevin De Bruyne's neat through ball.
Juve produced even less in front in increasingly frustrated supporters, who only had a Kenan Yildiz pot shot to shout about in a largely dismal opening period for the hosts.
However, that all changed in the 53rd minute thanks to Vlahovic just about forcing his close-range header across the line after City goalkeeper Ederson had kept out Federico Gatti's flying volley.
Stunned into action, City pushed for a leveller as Juve retreated into their own box, a move reminiscent of dozens of similarly dogged Italian defensive displays.
Di Gregorio did brilliantly to keep out Ilkay Gundogan's powerful long-range effort in the 68th minute, seconds before McKennie came on for Khephren Thuram.
The American turned out to be an inspired choice as he was on hand, completely unmarked, to lash in fellow countryman Timothy Weah's deftly clipped cross and kill off City's hopes of saving a point.