Manchester City’s naivety and inexperience playing in the European elite competition has continued to haunt them as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against Juventus in their Champions League Group D clash at the Etihad Stadium.
The hosts were quickest off the starting blocks as Yaya Toure released the onrushing Raheem Sterling on the left of the box, but the ex-Liverpool winger fired straight at Gianluigi Buffon’s feet.
Juve, however, had the ball in the back of the net just before the quarter-hour mark when Paul Pogba nodded home Juan Cuadrado’s cross, but the goal was disallowed as Alvaro Morata was judged to be offside in the middle.
Neither side was able to break the deadlock come the half-time whistle, but three minutes before the hour, Manuel Pellegrini’s charges edged themselves into the lead as Giorgio Chiellini, under pressure from Vincent Kompany, headed into his own net from a corner.
They would rue that miss because in the 70th minute, Juve struck back through Mario Mandzukic, who made the most of Pogba’s pinpoint delivery to stroke the ball into the net, with the aid of a brush off the post.
City set about trying to get back in front thanks to some confident possession play, but nine minutes before the break, they were caught out again as Morata found space on the edge of the box and curled an effort past Joe Hart for Juve’s second.
An increasingly desperate home side drove forward and nearly found joy two minutes from time when Toure picked up pass, lined up a shot and let rip from 25 metres out, but Buffon leapt into the air to fist the ball out of danger.