Champions League: I will continue my job calmly - Pirlo plays down sack calls after Juve loss

 

Juventus boss, Andrea Pirlo has responded to the speculations that he might be sacked after a disappointing Champions League result on Tuesday night.

The call for Pirlo’s sack grew in Italy on Tuesday after Juventus failed to take advantage of Porto being reduced to 10 men in the early minutes of the second half of the game.

Porto had Mehdi Taremi sent off in the 54th minute after a second yellow card for kicking the ball away in frustration.

Porto made it to the quarter-finals after a dramatic match that went to extra time.

The Portuguese side opened scoring after 19 minutes with Sergio Oliveira firing in from the spot.

Federico Chiesa equalised for the home side 4 minutes into the second half with a curling shot from a tight angle down the left flank.

The Italian champions scored their second goal in the 63 minutes with Chiesa’s heading in.

Juve fell at the last 16 stage of the Champions League for a second season and are third in Serie A, 10 points behind leaders Inter and four behind second-placed AC Milan.

The pressure is mounting on Pirlo, but he insists he has a long time left in the role at the club.

“I’ve been called here to do a job at Juventus,’ Pirlo told Sky Sports Italia.

“We have a project, a long term plan. I’ll continue my work calmly.”