Juventus centre-back Andrea Barzagli conceded that Bayern Munich were the stronger side in their 2-0 win over Juventus in Turin on Wednesday night.
Goals from Mario Mandzukic and Bastian Schweinsteiger gave the Bavarians all the insurance they needed as the Serie A leaders were knocked out 4-0 on aggregate.
“We certainly played better than the first leg, but Bayern proved they are a very strong side and one stronger than us,” Barzagli said to Mediaset after the match.
“We need to improve in order to reach their level and maybe by working hard we can get there.”
Juventus put in an improved performance compared to the first leg, however, it was not enough to mount a come back against Bayern, who are looking to reach their second straight final and third overall in four seasons.
Barzagli admitted that Juventus were still learning in Europe, while Bayern’s core of players have a wealth of Champions league experience to dwell on.
“This was our first Champions League in many years, for some of us the first full stop.
“Bayern have been at this level for five or six years, but we are just dipping our toes in.”
The Italian international also thanked the supporters, saying: “We played with great fans and we thank them for supporting us, and it is a shame we were unable to give them something to celebrate, but it was wonderful to receive applause even after a defeat.”
