UEFA Champions League 2018-19: 3 talking points from Group H's final day matches (Juventus, Manchester United, Valencia, Young Boys)

By Vishal

Modified Dec 14, 2018 02:07 GMT

Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo could not save his side from a surprising defeat

The Match Day 6 action in the UEFA Champions League 2018-19 season saw the battle for top spot in Group H with Juventus taking on Young Boys while Manchester United faced off against Valencia at the Mestalla. United were hoping for an unlikely Young Boys victory over Juventus to try and grab the first place in the group with a win over Valencia.

Meanwhile, Valencia were already assured of a Europa League spot and were looking to prove a point against the already qualified Manchester United.

Let's look at the 3 major talking points from Match Day 6 of the UEFA Champions League Group H matches:

#1 Juventus top Group despite shock loss to Young Boys

Juventus, the Serie A defending champions, suffered a shock defeat away to Swiss side Young Boys in their final Champions League Group H fixture. Massimiliano Allegri's side needed a victory in order to ensure first place finish in a tough group if Manchester United were to beat Valencia.

But Guillaume Hoarau destroyed any such plans as Young Boys took the lead in the first half from a penalty. Hoarau added another in the 68th minute to consolidate Young Boys' lead and reach his 100th goal for his club.

Paolo Dybala pulled one back for Juve through a spectacular goal but any hopes of a last-minute comeback were denied when Ronaldo's effort was disallowed in the second half stoppage time.

Despite finishing first in their Champions League group and being well above and clear of Serie A rivals in the domestic leagues, the losses against United and Young Boys does not bode well for a side aiming to achieve it all this season.

"We achieved our objective by winning the group, even on a night where everything seemed to go wrong," Allegri told Rai Sport about Juventus' UCL campaign.

#2 Manchester United finish second with yet another loss against Valencia:

Manchester United were not clinical once again as they lost to Valencia at the Mestalla. United needed all three points to win the group and hope for an unlikely Young Boys victory over Juventus.

Valencia v Manchester United - UEFA Champions League Group H

The Swiss side did defeat the Italian giants but United let themselves down with inconsistent performance and lack of intensity as has been the case for the majority of this season. A Carlos Soler strike enabled Valencia to get the lead early on and an embarrassing goal from Phil Jones doubled Valencia's lead.

Marcus Rashford did manage to get a consolation goal, however United ultimately came up short of their target. With this loss, they remained two points adrift of Juve who themselves lost to Young Boys.

#3 Valencia head into Europa League with confidence:

Valencia were out of Champions League last 16 contention in this year's campaign with their loss to Juventus and Manchester United's last-minute win over Young Boys. The Spanish side were already guaranteed of a Europa League berth but the victory over Manchester United will certainly give them a boost.

Previous season's fourth-placed team in LaLiga, Valencia are struggling this season, but Carlos Soler provided the spark early on which ensured that the English giants were always behind in the match.

Valencia can now focus on the Europa League and try to gain some momentum heading into the Round of 32 by gaining some wins under their belt in LaLiga. The Europa League is a tough competition and Valencia do have the depth in their squad to be competitive in the tournament.

Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.