Juventus fires Maurizio Sarri after elimination from the Champions League

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(CNN) - Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri was fired on Saturday after eliminating Lyon in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a double in a 2-1 home win on Friday, but could not prevent the Italian powerhouse from being hit by the away goals rule after the tie ended 2-2 on aggregate.

Despite leading Juve to a ninth straight Serie A title in his first season in charge, Sarri paid the price for his team's failure on the European stage.

"Maurizio Sarri has been relieved of his position as coach of the first team," read a statement from the club.

"The club would like to thank the coach for writing a new page in Juventus history by winning a ninth consecutive Scudetto, the culmination of a personal journey that saw him move through all levels of Italian football."

Sarri, 61, replaced Massimiliano Allegri last season after leading Chelsea to success in the Europa League.

Everything looked good as Juventus started the season with a 14-game unbeaten streak in Serie A, but faced a stronger challenge from both Inter Milan and Lazio, losing for the first time in the league to them. last in December.

• LOOK: Cristiano Ronaldo's contribution to Juventus in his ninth straight Serie A title

Defeats in the Italian Cup and the Italian Super Cup also undermined confidence in Sarri, while poor form since the season restart had Juve clinging to the title race by just one point to Antonio's Inter. Conte.

The elimination against Lyon was the final straw, with Memphis Depay's penalty in the first half for the visitor that sealed the French team's pass despite Ronaldo's goals bringing their total to 37 for the 2019 season. / 20, a club record.

Juventus have not won the Champions League since 1996 and have finished runners-up five times since then before the defeat against Lyon, their first in the round of 16 since 2016.

It led to a series of unfavorable headlines in Italian sports newspapers as the quest for a third title in Europe's leading club competition ended in bitter disappointment.

It was very different from Sarri's arrival in Turin last summer, his reputation forged over three seasons in charge of Napoli, where the team's fast-paced football style, dubbed 'Sarriball', earned praise and turned the team into challengers to the Juventus.

Despite winning the Europa League with Chelsea, Sarri was relieved of his duties after just one season, paving the way for the passage of his dreams to Juventus.

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