October 25, (THEWILL) – A 4-3 loss to Benfica on Wednesday, saw Juventus embarrassingly knocked out of this season’s UEFA Champions League competition, as a brace from Rafa Silva, helped the outstanding hosts secure their own spot in the round of 16.
Massimiliano Allegri’s team needed a victory to remain competitive in the qualifying slots in Group C when they travelled to the Estadio da Luz, but they played much worse after Dusan Vlahovic cancelled out Antonio Silva’s opening goal.
Rafa’s beautiful backheel and Joao Mario’s penalty gave Benfica a 3-1 lead by the halftime whistle. The winger doubled his team’s advantage with an even better goal after the break.
While Weston McKennie and Arkadiusz Milik’s late goals made for a thrilling conclusion to the encounter, Juventus’ efforts were too little, too late as Roger Schmidt’s team held strong to take maximum points and tie PSG at the top of the group.
Maccabi Haifa, is now ahead of Allegri’s team in Group H with three points and the Israeli team still has a chance to go to the Europa League but everything will be decided on the final matchday with PSG going against Juve and Haifa taking on the impressive Benfica.
About the Author
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.
