Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo reacting on the ground in the Champions League match against Lyon at Groupama Stadium in France on Wednesday — Reuters LYON, France, Feb 27 (Reuters): Juventus's hopes of reaching the Champions League last eight suffered a blow when the two-times European Cup winners slumped to a 1-0 defeat in their last-16 first leg at Olympique Lyonnais on Wednesday.
Midfielder Lucas Tousart scored the only goal in the opening half to give Lyon, who are bidding to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2010, a deserved win.
It was Lyon's first victory over Juventus, who suffered their first defeat in the competition this season.
Serie A leaders Juventus lacked quality, with Cristiano Ronaldo rarely getting into scoring positions, and they will need to improve in the return leg on March 17 if they are to progress.
About 2,700 Juventus fans travelled from Piedmont, a region neighbouring the coronavirus-hit Lombardy, as the game went ahead as planned despite concern over the virus.
On the pitch, Lyon were at their best, with Houssem Aouar and new signing Bruno Guimaraes inspiring their team.
Juventus have only won four of their last eight competitive matches and captain Leonardo Bonucci pointed out that the team had improved.
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