UEFA Champions League | Lokomotiv Moscow 1-2 Juventus: 3 Talking Points

Juventus left it late to defeat Lokomotiv Moscow at the RZD Arena, with goals from Aaron Ramsey and Douglas Costa helping to render Aleksey Miranckuk's strike irrelevant.

Summer signing Ramsey had put the visitors ahead inside four minutes - becoming the first British player to score a Champions League goal for Juventus - reacting quickest after Guilherme could only parry Cristiano Ronaldo's freekick back into the danger area.

Less than 10 minutes later, the hosts were level, with Aleksey Mirachuk showing great reflexes to convert after his initial header had rebounded off the post.

From then on, the game turned into a tactical slugfest, with both teams sparring but not drawing blood.

Just when the game seemed destined to end as a stalemate, Douglas Costa combined well with Gonzalo Higuain, showing great footwork before slotting into the back of the net in the third minute of injury time.

The victory was no less than Maurizio Sarri would have expected and we shall be taking a look at three talking points from the early kickoff in Russia.

#3 Juventus seal qualification for the knockout rounds

Sarri's men are through to the knockout round

Juventus are one of the elite teams in Europe and were seeded for the Champions League draw which pitted them with Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, and Lokomotiv Moscow.

With all due respect to Lokomotiv and Bayer, but Atletico is the only significant threat to Juventus on paper and the Bianconerri would have expected to qualify from the group stage pretty easily.

So far, they have posted three victories from four matches, with their only setback unexpectedly coming at the Wanda Metropolitano where they drew 2-2 with Atletico Madrid.

Their latest victory over Lokomotiv takes them to 10 points at the top of the table.

With two matchdays to go, this is an ideal situation for Maurizio Sarri, as he could use the remaining group stage fixtures to rotate his squad and keep them fresh for a tight Serie A race with Inter Milan.

However, the 60-year-old would have one eye on the return leg against Atletico Madrid as the fixture could go a long way in determining who tops the group.

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#2 Cristiano Ronaldo made to wait for new Champions League record

Ronaldo did not score against Lokomotiv in 180 minutes

Saying that Cristiano Ronaldo and setting of records go together is merely stating the obvious, but this extraordinary trait of his is most obvious on the continent, with the Juventus man turning into something of an unstoppable machine in the Champions League.

His records in the competition are almost too numerous to list, but there is one which he is yet to attain.

Cristiano Ronaldo's goal against Bayer Leverkusen on matchday 2 meant that the Germans were the 33rd club he has scored against in the Champions League and it saw him equal the mark set by his former teammate and Real icon Raul Gonzalez.

Lionel Messi soon joined the pair when he scored against Slavia Prague on matchday 3, but the fixtures against Lokomotiv Moscow offered Cristiano Ronaldo an opportunity to steer clear of the legendary duo.

However, for all of his best efforts, he could not find a way past Guilherme, as the Brazilian was in inspired form, while Ramsey's opener might well have gone into the back of the net had the Welsh international not poked the ball in.

Having failed to find the net over both legs against the Russians, it means that Cristiano Ronaldo would have to wait until at least the knockout rounds to get the record, while Lionel Messi's upcoming fixtures against Dortmund and Inter Milan could see him have the record all to himself if he scores against either.

#1 Douglas Costa steps up to make the difference

Douglas Costa scored a late winner

With the game heading towards a draw and the players on the field bereft of attacking ideas, Maurizio Sarri needed to shake things up and he turned to his bench to summon Douglas Costa in place of Sami Khedira in the 70th minute.

The Brazilian is a bundle of talent and skill, but has been blighted by injury troubles in recent times which has seen him drift in and out of the Juventus starting lineup.

Against Lokomotiv, the 29-year-old did his starting chances a world of good with a well-taken goal in injury time.

He had combined well with Gonzalo Higuain in the buildup, then showed good close control and quick feet before slotting a fine finish past Guilherme to give Juventus all three points with few minutes left to play in the game.

The goal was his first this calendar year and if he can stay fit, there is no doubt that he would play a key role in Juventus' charge on all fronts this season.