January 22, (THEWILL) — Juventus revived their UEFA Champions League ambitions with a 2-0 victory over Benfica at the Allianz Stadium, climbing from 17th to 15th in the standings. Goals from Khephren Thuram and Weston McKennie lifted Luciano Spalletti’s team to within one point of the top eight and automatic qualification for the knockout rounds.
Benfica, meanwhile, dropped to 29th and now sits two points outside the play-off places with only one match remaining.
The opening 45 minutes offered little drama beyond fine saves from both goalkeepers.
Anatoliy Trubin denied Kenan Yildiz for the visitors, while Michele Di Gregorio kept out Heorhiy Sudakov at the other end. Neither side managed to impose itself in a cagey first half in Turin.
Juventus broke the deadlock 10 minutes after the interval when Thuram carried the ball into the penalty area, steadied himself and fired into the bottom-left corner from 15 yards.
McKennie doubled the advantage nine minutes later, exchanging passes with Jonathan David just inside the box before slotting past Trubin with composure.
Benfica threatened a comeback when Frederik Aursnes struck the woodwork from a corner, and moments later Gleison Bremer fouled Leandro Barreiro inside the area.
Vangelis Pavlidis stepped up to take the penalty but slipped during his run-up and sent the ball wide of the target.
The result leaves Juventus within touching distance of the automatic qualification spots, while Benfica faces an uphill battle to reach even the play-off phase.
Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will contest the knockout-round play-offs, but Bruno Lage’s side must overturn a two-point deficit in their final group fixture.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
