Juventus were beaten 2-0 at home in the Champions League by Benfica, continuing a terrible week for Thiago Motta’s men.
After dropping points at Club Brugge, Juventus still held slim hopes of finishing in the top eight and needed a big win against Benfica, but the Portuguese side started the game as though they were determined to take all three points.
Andreas Schjelderup had a shot blocked, only for Samuel Mbangula to force a top-class save from Anatoliy Trubin as Juve turned defence into attack.
Schjelderup came close again, drawing a fine stop from Mattia Perin in the Juventus goal.
As Juve struggled to contain Benfica, their night worsened when Pierre Kalulu picked up an injury and could not continue.
Seconds after the Frenchman was subbed off, Vangelis Pavlidis smashed the ball home to open the scoring.
Juventus began pushing to get back into the game, with Douglas Luiz busy in midfield and Francisco Conceição probing the Benfica defence on the wing, but the Portuguese team came well-prepared.
In added time at the end of the first half, Benfica could have extended their lead if Pavlidis hadn’t drawn a world-class save from Perin.
After the break, Juve continued to struggle to create clear-cut chances, while Orkun Kökçü came agonisingly close to scoring a second for Benfica.
Khephren Thuram had a good chance to pull one back for Juventus from a rebound, but Trubin pulled off another fine save.
Juve kept pushing to score, but Trubin remained impenetrable when chances arose, and Benfica’s defence handled other threats effectively.
As Juventus searched for an equaliser, Benfica struck again against the run of play, with Kökçü finally finding the back of the net with a fine effort.
The second goal deflated the Bianconeri’s confidence, and despite their efforts, they were unable to find the goal they had worked so hard for, ultimately succumbing to another disappointing defeat.
