12 Apr 2017

Juventus topple Barcelona

9:40 am on 12 April 2017

Juventus have trounced an underwhelming Barcelona 3-nil in the first leg of their Champions League football quarterfinal in Turin.

The Spanish side, who overcame a 4-0 first-leg deficit in the previous round to beat Paris St Germain, will have to pull off a similar trick on the return leg.

Juventus are on course for a Champions league semi-final berth.

Juventus are on course for a Champions league semi-final berth. Photo: Photosport

Barca had 65 percent of the possession but were strangely ponderous in midfield and leaky at the back, where they could not cope with the pace and aggression of Mario Mandzukic or Juan Cuadrado on the flanks.

The match pitted Chiellini against Barcelona forward Luis Suarez for the first time since the infamous incident at the 2014 World Cup when the Uruguayan bit the Italian defender.

Uruguay's Luis Suarez, right, acts hurt as Giorgio Chiellini claims Suarez has bitten him on the shoulder.

Uruguay's Luis Suarez, right, acts hurt as Giorgio Chiellini claims Suarez has bitten him on the shoulder. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The other quarterfinal due to be played between Borussia Dortmund and Monaco has been rescheduled for tomorrow after the Borussia Dortmund bus was hit by three blasts from devices planted in bushes at the roadside close to the team's hotel.

"The bus turned into the main street, when there was a huge boom, a real explosion," Sky television quoted Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki as saying.

"I was sitting in the back row next to Marc Bartra, hit by fragments ... after the bang, we all ducked."

Dortmund police said in a message on Twitter: "After the initial investigation, we assume that this was an attack using serious explosives."

The stadium, which is the largest in Germany and holds more than 80,000 spectators, emptied quickly and without incident.

Bartra, a ddefender, suffered an injury to his hand which is not thought to be serious,

Bartra Dortmund last year from Barcelona and has made 12 appearances for the Spanish national team.

Borussia Dortmund's managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke was quoted as telling Sky: "The whole team is in a state of shock."