Cristiano Ronaldo Scores Hat-Trick, but Juventus Crumble to Lyon in Champions LeagueCristiano Ronaldo Scores Hat-Trick, but Juventus Crumble to Lyon in Champions League In a thrilling encounter at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday night, Juventus suffered a stunning 3-1 defeat to Lyon in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie. Despite a heroic hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo, the Italian giants were unable to overcome a first-leg deficit and crashed out of the competition. Juventus had entered the match with high hopes, needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg. However, Lyon struck an early blow when Houssem Aouar pounced on a defensive error to put the visitors ahead inside 12 minutes. Ronaldo responded with a stunning equalizer just over 20 minutes later, but Memphis Depay restored Lyon’s advantage with a header on the stroke of halftime. The Portuguese superstar reduced the deficit once more with a brilliant free-kick in the second half, but it was not enough to save Juventus. Lyon held firm defensively and scored a late goal through Karl Toko Ekambi to seal the victory. The French side progressed to the quarterfinals with a 4-3 aggregate scoreline, sending Juventus crashing out in disappointing fashion. Ronaldo’s hat-trick was a remarkable individual achievement, but it was not enough to mask the team’s overall poor performance. Juventus looked shaky at the back and struggled to create clear-cut chances. Their Champions League dreams were extinguished, and they must now concentrate on securing a top-four finish in Serie A. For Lyon, the victory was a major upset and a testament to their resilience and tactical discipline. They defended stoutly and took their chances when they came, deservedly advancing to the next round of Europe’s elite club competition.
