Juventus coach Thiago Motta took full responsibility for his side’s defeat against Benfica in the final matchday of the Champions League group stage.
The Bianconeri were hoping for a victory that could lift them to the Top 8 spots, at least place them among the seeded clubs in the play-offs. However, they end up producing yet another miserable showing in front of their irritated home supporters, especially in the first half.
The Portuguese giants had the clear upper hand in the early going, and took the lead through Vangelis Pavlidis who only had to place his shot past the hapless Mattia Perin.
While the Italians certainly improved after the break and managed to take the initiative, they remained toothless in front of goal. So against the run of play, Benfica added another goal to kill off the contest in the 80th minute.
After the encounter, Motta insisted the defeat was his own doing, while lauding his players who gave their all on the pitch.
“After a defeat, you can always point fingers and come up with alibis, but I don’t do that,” said the Juventus manager in his post-match press conference via IlBianconero. “It’s my responsibility, the boys try to give their all.”
“We did not deserve the victory, Benfica created and finished better. We have to improve quickly. In Naples, we had an excellent first half, but today, our first half was difficult. In the second half, we did a little better but not enough to cause problems for Benfica.”
Motta also provided updates on Pierre Kalulu who left the pitch early after sustaining a knock.
“He felt something while slipping and was unable to play. Let’s hope it’s nothing important and he can return for the next one, albeit it’s going to be difficult. But we’ll evaluate his condition.”
