Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has heaped praise on Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain following the club’s 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the final game of the Champions League group stage. Prior to the game, the Bianconeri had cemented their progress to the next round with the top spot but they still came up with a resolute display with Ronaldo and Higuain scoring in the final 15 minutes.

Leverkusen were the better side for more than an hour where they had multiple attempts at goal but the Bianconeri found the breakthrough through Ronaldo in the 75th minute following a superb pass from Paulo Dybala. In injury time, Higuain doubled the scores at the BayArena after another assist from compatriot Dybala.

Speaking after the victory, Buffon was impressed with the attitude shown by the players despite the fact that the game was a dead rubber. He added to appreciate the performances of Ronaldo and Higuain and said that the duo set examples for the rest with their determination on the playing field.He told Sky Italia: "If we face the games this way, I am sure we can all do great things.

“However, if we approach matches with a sense of snobbery, that becomes a problem. It's a bad sign if you don't go into games with the right determination if you are 20, let alone in your 40s. I am glad that we had examples like Higuain and Ronaldo to lead the way in their performance, work ethic and show of sacrifice for the team."

Despite topping their Champions League group, Juventus can anticipate a tough round of 16 draw, considering they could face one of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid or Lyon. Lyon are probably the weaker team among the quintet but the Bianconeri can’t expect an easy path at the knockout phase of the competition.