Turin –
Juventus beat Benfica 2-0 on the seventh matchday of the Champions League this season. This victory ensures that the Bianconeri enter the playoffs while maintaining their hopes of qualifying directly for the last 16.
Playing at the Allianz Stadium, Thursday (22/1/2026) early morning WIB, Luciano Spalletti’s team scored two winning goals in the second half, respectively by Khephren Thuram in the 55th minute and Weston McKennie in the 64th minute.
The additional three points brought Juventus up to 15th with 12 points. Meanwhile, Benfica is outside the playoff zone, ranked 29th with six points to be precise.
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The course of the match
Juventus threatened first in the 8th minute, but Khephren Thuram’s header went wide to the left of Benfica’s goal guarded by Anatoliy Trubin. Benfica pressed back not long after, but Heorhii Sudakov’s long-range shot was saved by Michele Di Gregorio.
Kenan Yildiz fired a low shot into the right corner in the 9th minute, but it was blocked by Trubin. Sudakov had another chance in the 23rd minute, but Di Gregorio blocked his shot. Gianluca Prestianni’s long-range shot in the 25th minute also went off target.
Juventus had the next chance in the 36th minute, but Fabio Miretti’s header failed to reach the goal. Meanwhile Jonathan David’s header in the 43rd minute went wide to the left. Score 0-0 closed the first half.
After the break, Juventus managed to break the deadlock in the 55th minute. Thuram dribbled the ball into the Benfica penalty box then fired a low shot into the left corner which Trubin couldn’t reach.
Weston McKennie doubled the score in the 64th minute. A one-two pass with David allowed him to escape Benfica’s back line. In a one-on-one duel with Trubin, McKennie calmly found the net against the Ukrainian goalkeeper.
Benfica is trying to get up. Fredrik Aursnes had a chance in the 69th minute, but his header hit the right post of the Juventus goal. Then Vangelis Pavlidis executed a penalty in the 81st minute after Leandro Barreiro was brought down by Bremer but failed to produce a goal after the striker slipped while kicking.
No more goals were scored. The 2-0 score lasted until the end.
(adp/adp)
