European soccer was gripped by goals galore as chaos unfolded across 17 other games. But Juventus plodded along, offering nothing of note despite dominating possession.
Juve head coach Thiago Motta admitted in the post-match press conference that his side “lacked a cutting edge in the final third.”
The game started in a lively fashion with goalmouth action in the opening two minutes. Benfica’s Andreas Schjelderup having a shot blocked by Federico Gatti. Then Juventus counter-attacked with keeper Anatoly Trubin saving Samuel Mbangula's effort.
Juventus’ injury woes got worse after 15 minutes when defender Pierre Kalulu was forced off with a suspected muscle injury.. The next day it was confirmed that he had suffered a right thigh problem that requires further investigation.
Midfielder Manuel Locatelli replaced Kalulu, having already played as a centre-back this term. But the swap proved a disaster for Motta, as Benfica scored shortly after the change.
Alexander Bah took advantage of an error from Fedrico Gatti and fired a pass towards Vangeljs Pavlidis, who duly slotted past 'keeper Mattia Perin on 16 minutes.
Juventus were lucky to not concede a second on 28 minutes, when Pavlidis came close with a header but was denied by a superb save from Perin.
The hosts gained more of a foothold in the game during the second half, dominating possession but failing to create any clear-cut chances.
Juventus’ inability to deal with Benfica counter-attacks, and Pavlidis in particular, came back to bite them when the Portguese side put the game beyond doubt on 80 minutes thanks to midfielder Orkun Kökçü. Pavlidis teed up the Turk, who beat Perin with a low drive into the left corner.
Motta and his Juventus side were greeted with boos, whistles and jeers at full time, and for good reason. After Saturdays streak-breaking loss to Napoli and this result, Motta now has the third-lowest win percentage (38.71%) of any permanent manager in Juventus history, behind Alberto Zaccheroni (38.10%) and Sandro Puppo (24.19%).
With Juve fifth in Serie A, and no drop into the Europa League as a consolation, Juve are in serious danger of not making the Champions League next season. Notably, Dusan Vlahovic and Douglas Luiz ignored the fans, walking straight down the tunnel at full time.
Benfica’s win not only ensured they avoided elimination, but also confirmed 20th placed Juve will go into the play-offs for a place in the last 16. Juventus will play AC Milan or PSV Eindhoven, with the opponent to be determined in Friday’s draw and the matches to be played on 11-12 and 18-19 February.
Very few players deserved pass marks, with the exception of goalie Perin who was was vital in keeping the score down, with his superb save from Pavlidis’ header and again denying the Greek striker on the stroke of half-time following on an error from Locatelli.
Motta reflected during the press conference: “The first half was difficult. In the second half we did a little better, but not enough to cause them many problems. There were situations that we could certainly have handled better, we didn't do as we wanted. We have to improve quickly."
Juventus will look to bounce back on Sunday, when they face Empoli at home in Serie A.