Juventus’ Champions League woes continued at the Allianz Stadium as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Benfica, failing to secure direct qualification to the knockout stage. The loss extends their poor record against the Portuguese side, with just one win in eight meetings.
The first half saw Benfica strike first, with Vangelis Pavlidis calmly slotting home in the 36th minute after a well-worked counterattack. Juventus, despite pushing forward, struggled to break through Benfica’s defensive line.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, Orkun Kökçü sealed the victory with a powerful long-range strike, extinguishing Juve’s hopes of a comeback. Juventus will be disappointed to have missed out on automatic qualification, while Benfica’s win keeps their European hopes alive as they progress to the playoffs.
As it happened
Juventus entered the final match of the league phase needing a win to have any chance of securing direct qualification, but Benfica had other plans. The visitors made their intentions clear from the start, with Andreas Schjelderup forcing a save from Juve keeper Mattia Perin inside two minutes.
Juventus responded in the sixth minute when Samuel Mbangula met a cross with a diving header, but Anatoliy Trubin made a comfortable stop. The home side dominated possession in the early stages, but their attacking play lacked sharpness, while Benfica looked threatening on the break.
Disaster struck for Juventus in the 16th minute when Pierre Kalulu pulled up injured off the ball, forcing an early substitution. Seconds later, Benfica took full advantage. Juventus failed to clear their lines after a loose ball in the box, and Alexander Bah kept his composure to pick out Vangelis Pavlidis. With Perin stranded after rushing off his line, the Greek forward calmly slotted into an empty net to make it 1-0.
Embed from Getty ImagesDespite falling behind, Juventus controlled possession—reaching 66% by half-time—but failed to translate it into meaningful opportunities. Their best attempt came from Timothy Weah, whose long-range strike was saved comfortably.
Benfica nearly doubled their lead just before the break, with Pavlidis denied by a brilliant block from Douglas Luiz after Federico Gatti’s misplaced pass. Juventus were fortunate to go into the interval only one goal down.
Juventus emerged with clear urgency after the restart. Dušan Vlahović was booked for a reckless challenge early in the half, and frustration grew when Kenan Yıldız came close to equalising in the 58th minute, only to fire into the side netting.
In an attempt to inject more creativity, Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri introduced Teun Koopmeiners and Nicolás González in the 61st minute for Mbangula and Khéphren Thuram but Benfica remained compact and disciplined at the back.
The hosts’ momentum faded as Benfica grew into the half. Kökçü came close to doubling their lead in the 70th minute, flashing a shot just wide, but the Portuguese side would not be denied for long.
Kökçü sealed the victory for Benfica in the 80th minute. Pavlidis turned provider, slipping a well-weighted pass into Kökçü’s path. The Turkish midfielder made no mistake, drilling a low effort into the bottom corner beyond Perin to make it 2-0.
Embed from Getty ImagesJuventus threw numbers forward in the closing stages, but Trubin remained unbeatable, making a crucial stop to deny Vlahovic late on.
Benfica’s victory confirmed their place in the knockout round play-offs, finishing 16th in the new league phase. Juventus, meanwhile, dropped to 20th and will also now have to navigate a two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.
The lineups
JUV: Perin; Weah, Gatti, Kalulu, McKennie; Douglas Luiz, Thuram; Francisco Conceição, Yıldız, Mbangula; Vlahovic
BEN: Trubin; Tomás Araújo, António Silva, Otamendi, Bah; Aursnes, Florentino, Kökçü; Di María, Pavlidis, Schjelderup