Benfica thrashed Juventus out of the UEFA Champions League with a 4-3 win over the visiting side at the Estadio da Luz on Tuesday night. Juventus desperately needed a win to keep their Champions League hopes alive when they went out to face the Portuguese side, but the Primeira Liga toppers were too good for them. Juventus were lucky that Benfica only converted four of their chances. Benfica constantly threatened Juventus’ defence with quick plays and crosses. They were 3-1 up at the half time and it looked like Juventus were on the way to one of their worst defeats, but the visitors came fighting in the second half after conceding another goal in the early minutes. Samuel Illing, who came on the left flank, was a constant menace and provided two assists, giving Juventus some hope. But the Italian side needed another two goals and couldn’t find them.
We’ve broken down all the key stats for you to digest, including;
* shot maps
* xT (expected threat)
* pass networks
* xG timelines * defensive duels
* average positions and much more!
We also try to answer some questions for you with the visuals;
How did Benfica’s efficient passing in the final third help them register a win against Juventus? Why couldn’t Juventus retain their Champions League hopes despite having a good xG?
To navigate the stats gallery simply click on the numbers to move through the pages.
Juventus went into the match with their usual 3-5-2 formation, with Mosie Kean and Dusan Vlahovic leading the line. Allegri later brought on Arkadiusz Milik in the second half, who scored their second goal. After 70 minutes, they changed to a 3-4-2-1 formation with S. Illing Junior and W. Mckennie providing the width.
Benfica started the game with a 4-4-1-1 formation with Rafa Silva just behind Goncalo Ramos. They changed to a 4-4-2 after both of them were taken off in the 88th minute. Rafa Silva scored two goals before coming off.
Juventus had only 47.52% of possession. But their possessions increased as time went by. They ended the match with constant possession of the ball and looked dangerous.
Benfica had 52.48% of possession. The home side started the match with high possession and managed to score three goals during that period. They lost the ball towards the end but were able to hang on to their lead.
Juventus concentrated their attack mainly through the centre, with 72% of them through the middle. They had 0.60 xG while attacking through the left. Their second and third goals came from a cross from the left wing.
Benfica, on the other hand, mostly attacked through the wings and had 13 crosses in the match with 53.8% accuracy.
Juventus had a total of ten shots, out of which only four were on target with 40% accuracy. They managed to convert three of those, but it still wasn’t enough to get over the line.
Benfica had a total of 14 shots, of which six were on target. They missed some really good chances, otherwise, the scoreline would have looked much different and would have made things more difficult for Juventus.
Allegri’s team had an xG rate of 2.99. They had five attempts from inside the penalty box and managed to convert three of those chances.
Benfica had an xG rate of 3.07. They had 11 chances from inside the penalty box and six shots on target.
Juventus completed a total of 391 passes, completing 330 of them with 84.4% accuracy. They used their width well and made some good passes through the middle as well.
Benfica played a total of 478 passes, completing 423 of them with 88.49% accuracy. Their quick interchanges and through balls were a delight to watch. They kept passing the ball around when they enjoyed very high possession in the first half and scored three goals.
The Italian side played 45 passes to the final third but lacked accuracy. They only completed 27 of them and had an accuracy of only 60%. Locatelli and Kostic combined the most times (three) for the visitors in the final third.
Benfica, on the other hand, played two fewer passes to the final third, but out of the 43 passes they managed to complete 35. They had a passing accuracy of 81.4% in the final third. Their efficiency in the attacking third was key to them scoring four goals.
Juventus recovered the ball 71 times during the whole match. Gatti finished the match with the highest number of recoveries for the Italian side, with 11 recoveries. Locatelli won the ball back 9 times in the middle of the park and prevented a potential Benfica build-up.
The Portuguese side recovered the ball 77 times in the match. Alexander Bah finished the match with the highest number of recoveries. The young wingback recovered the ball in the defensive third, preventing their build-ups.
Juventus contested a total of 181 duels and won 81 of them with a success rate of 49.17%. Gatti participated in 25 duels and completed 64% of them. Kostic also contested 18 duels.
The home side also contested 181 duels but only completed 78 of them with an accuracy of 43.09%. Goncalo Ramos, the striker, participated in the highest number of duels for Benfica.
The visitors attempted 43 defensive duels and completed 27 of them with an accuracy of 62.79%. Cuadrado contested the highest number of defensive duels for Juventus. The right-back, however, also ended up conceding a penalty for handling the ball in the penalty box.
Benfica contested a total of 58 defensive duels but only completed 27 of them with an accuracy of 45.76%. Young Alexander Bah participated in the highest number of defensive duels for the home team.
Juventus participated in 44 aerial duels and won only 17 of them. Gatti again came off with the highest number of aerial duels for the visitors, who won 83% of them. The team, though, only won 36.96% of the total number of aerial duels.
The hosts contested 46 aerial duels and completed 23 of them with 50% accuracy. Goncalo Ramos took part in 11 aerial duels but only had a 36% success rate. Nicolas Otamendi took part in eight of them and completed 75% of them.
Juventus made 34 interceptions in the match, and Locatelli, McKennie, and Gatti made six interceptions each. Even though they made 34 interceptions, they couldn’t do much in the middle of the park, and therefore Benfica was able to build from the middle.
Benfica had one more interception than the Italian side. The hosts’ right back, Alexander Bah, made the most number of interceptions for the hosts. A huge percentage of their interceptions were in the defensive third, and that helped them to cling to their lead in the end.
Juventus are officially out of the Champions League following the defeat to Benfica. Allegri and Co will have some work to do to regain their reputation and ensure a place in the Champions League next season. But for this season, they will have to play in the Europa League, which will not be very easy either, considering the quality of the teams playing in the competition this year.
Visuals via Wyscout