Weston McKennie displayed the fine form he’s been in as he bagged a goal to help Juventus to victory over Benfica in the latest round of the UEFA Champions League.
Juventus 2-0 Benfica
Juventus booked itself into a playoff place in a shutout win over Benfica at the Allianz Stadium.
Weston McKennie started and went the distance for the Bianconeri, completing 82 percent passing, making two recoveries and two key passes, along with two shots.
After a scoreless first half, the hosts took charge ten minutes into the second when Khephren Thuram found the goal after recovering the ball from an intercepted pass from Jonathan David.
Juventus doubled their lead in the 64th minute when McKennie, who came so close to scoring earlier, played the ball to David, got it back on the return in the 18-yard box, and slotted his shot past Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
The visitors had a chance to cut the deficit nine minutes from regulation time when the video assistant referee called for a penalty. However, Vangelis Pavlidis’ spot kick went well wide of the mark.
Juventus sits in 15th place in the standings with 12 points, with a game left next week.
Galatasaray 1-1 Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid scored both goals of the game, although one of them had to be an own goal, as they shared the points with Galatasaray at Rams Park.
Johnny Cardoso came off the bench to play 34 minutes for Los Rojiblancos, completing 100 percent passing, winning two duels, and making a recovery.
The visitors gained the upper hand in the contest when they scored four minutes in. Matteo Ruggeri’s cross from the left side allowed an unchallenged Giuliano Simeone to send a powerful header home.
Things turned a little sour for Atletico in the 21st minute when Marcos Llorente scored an own goal for the hosts. Leroy Sane passed the ball to teammate Roland Sallai, who then sent a low cross that led the Spaniard to put it into the back of the net inadvertently.
The Spanish side is in 12th place in the standings with 13 points. Next week, they will know whether it will be a qualification for the top eight or the round of 16.
Notes
Elsewhere in the Champions League, Tim Weah played the full 90 minutes as Marseille was thrashed in a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at the Stade Velodrome.
Folarin Balogun played 73 minutes for Monaco as they were annihilated by Real Madrid by a 6-1 scoreline at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Sergino Dest was not in PSV’s lineup due to injury in their 3-0 loss to Newcastle at St. James’ Park.
Yunus Musah was an unused substitute in Atalanta’s 3-2 loss to Athletic Bilbao at the New Balance Arena.
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