December 11, (THEWILL) — Juventus revived their UEFA Champions League hopes with a 2-0 victory over Pafos at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday evening. Weston McKennie and Jonathan David found the net for the Bianconeri, who moved to 17th in the league phase table with a three-point advantage over their Cypriot opponents.
The hosts endured a nervy opening period during which Pafos threatened repeatedly. Bruno Felipe’s cross deflected off Lloyd Kelly and Andrea Cambiaso before Michele Di Gregorio produced a crucial save. Anderson Silva struck the base of the right post from distance, whilst Vlad Dragomir and Derrick Luckassen squandered further opportunities for the visitors.
Juventus struggled to convert their own chances before the interval. Jonathan David failed to capitalise from close range after Kelly’s knock-back, and Kenan Yildiz fired over following a parried effort from Teun Koopmeiners. Francisco Conceicao went close on two occasions without breaking the deadlock.
The breakthrough arrived in the 67th minute when McKennie struck inside the near post after Cambiaso picked him out on the right side of the penalty area. Juventus doubled their advantage through a rapid counter-attack, with Yildiz setting up David to finish into the bottom-right corner from near the penalty spot.
Luciano Spalletti’s side had drawn their previous two home fixtures in the competition and sat just inside the top 24 on points level with Pafos before kick-off. The victory provides vital momentum in their pursuit of qualification from the league phase.
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.
