Juventus Coach Laments Nervous Display Against Celta
VIGO, Spain, March 9 (Reuters) - Juventus coach Carlo
Ancelotti blamed his side's nervousness for the extraordinary 4-0 UEFA Cup defeat to Celta Vigo that sent them crashing out of Europe on Thursday.
The Spaniards went ahead in the first minute through Claude Makelele, were gifted an own goal and took advantage of two defensive mistakes in the second half to inflict Juve's worst European defeat for 42 years.
The Italians had Antonio Conte and Paulo Montero sent off inside the first 45 minutes on a nightmare night.
Ancelotti was at pains to pay tribute to Celta for their win but was also critical of his side's lack of poise.
"First of all we should take account of the quality of the opposition and the fact that we conceded a goal in the first minute," Ancelotti said. "But we suffered an attack of nerves. "The two red cards had an effect on the game but they were just part of a bad night.
"If it's tough to come back from a goal down with 10 players it's almost impossible with nine. "Celta are a great team and they play good football. "The only hope is that this defeat will spur us to better things in the league."
For victorious Celta coach Victor Fernandez the match was a dream come true. "It's one of the happiest moments of my life as a coach," he said. "You can't even dream about a result like this against a rival like Juventus.
"We came out without fear or too much respect for their
reputation and we played great football, with terrific
concentration."
