Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus Beat Valencia; Advance to UCL Round of 16

Juventus booked their spot in the knockout rounds of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League after they earned a 1-0 win at home to Valencia on Tuesday.

The Old Lady's passage to the last 16 was made harder after their shock defeat to Manchester United the last time out, but they got the result they needed against Valencia to claim their place with a game to spare in the group stage.

Mario Mandzukic was the sole goalscorer, striking just before the hour from close range after an excellent cross by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Juve need to only match United's result in the last slate of fixtures to advance to the knockout rounds as Group H winners. They face Young Boys on Dec. 12 at the Stade de Suisse for Matchday 6.

Juventus Are Champions League Favourites

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Juve did what they had to on Tuesday.

It was an unspectacular 1-0 victory, but the efficiency with which they went about their business added to their claim as the favourites to go all the way in the tournament.

All it took for them to earn the win was for Ronaldo to briefly go up a gear in the 59th minute.

He shimmied on the left of the area to make some space, squared low across the six-yard box and Mandzukic was on hand to poke the ball home.

The Old Lady have an engine room more than capable of controlling games against even the best sides and one of the most experienced defensive duos in the world:

One of the key concerns after their 2-1 reverse to United on Nov. 7 was whether goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was good enough to be the No. 1 in a Champions League-winning side:

He showed his class against Valencia with a wonder save in the dying moments of the first half:

Juventus look to have just about the most complete team in Europe, and they are already eight points clear of second-place Napoli in Serie A.

With the Champions League as their main focus and Ronaldo spearheading their attack, they are the team to beat in this season's tournament.  

A victory against Young Boys will guarantee them top spot in the group, and no side in Europe will want to draw Juve in the last 16. 

What's Next?

Juve face a tough trip to Fiorentina on Saturday in Serie A, while Valencia are back in La Liga action against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.