Lisbon's "Benfica" suffered a painful defeat in an away match against "Juventus", which significantly complicated their tournament standing in the Champions League. This was reported by UNN.
Match Chronology
The first half passed in a relatively even struggle with no goals scored, but after the break, the hosts completely seized the initiative. "Juventus" increased their speed and aggression, which quickly resulted in two effective shots, to which "Benfica" could not respond.
First, Thuram left his mark in Anatoliy Trubin's goal in the 55th minute, and David McKennie set the final score in the 64th minute.
Now Mourinho's team needs to beat Real with a good margin in the last match and hope for a simultaneous loss of points by at least six competitors.
Meanwhile, "Juventus" with their pragmatic and cold-blooded football made a decisive step towards the next stage, while for Trubin's and Sudakov's team, this defeat could be crucial for their entire European campaign this season.
How Ukrainian legionnaires of "Benfica" played
Anatoliy Trubin played a very demanding match: the goalkeeper repeatedly entered the game in the first half, won duels, and acted confidently during crosses, but after the break, he found himself under a barrage of attacks when "Benfica's" defense lost its compactness. Both conceded goals were a consequence of systemic team errors, not individual miscalculations by the Ukrainian.
Heorhiy Sudakov was one of the most active players of the guests in possession of the ball. He regularly dropped deeper to start attacks, tried to advance the ball through the center, and look for unconventional solutions between the lines. At the same time, "Juventus's" tight marking and high pressing significantly limited his influence on the game - most of the Ukrainian's passes did not reach the final third, and attempts to sharpen the play were quite often and quickly neutralized.