Juventus player ratings vs Benfica: Thuram & McKennie run riots | OneFootball

Juventus secured their spot in the Champions League play-offs after beating their visitors Benfica by two unanswered in the penultimate matchday of the group stage.

Jose Mourinho’s men were arguably the better side in the first hour of play, Khephren Thuram broke the deadlock for the home side with a low drive to the near corner, while Weston McKennie doubled the lead after linking up with Jonathan David.

Here are our player ratings for Juventus, who earned their third European win on the trot by besting the Lisbon-based giants.

Juventus XI (4-2-3-1)

Michele Di Gregorio – 6.5

The Italian goalkeeper produced some important saves, especially in the first half, to earn his clean sheet. His services weren’t needed on the spot-kick thanks to Vangelis Pavlidis’ shocking slip.

Pierre Kalulu – 6

A mixed bag from the Frenchman, who defended well for the bulk of the contest, but occasionally put Juventus in trouble with poor plays.

Gleison Bremer – 6

The Brazilian was enjoying a solid outing at the back, but gave away a penalty for clipping Leandro Barreiro with a late challenge.

Lloyd Kelly – 6.5

Another dominant showing at the back from the Englishman, who made a timely interception to deny Pavlidis the chance to pounce on the rebound. His only blunder was giving away a needless free-kick in a dangerous area for pulling Gianluca Prestianni’s shirt.

Andrea Cambiaso – 5.5

While it wasn’t a vintage performance by any means, the Juventus supporters were a bit too harsh to jeer off Cambiaso while leaving the pitch. He was wasteful at times, but did fairly well to limit Prestianni’s danger.

Manuel Locatelli – 5.5

The Juventus captain was happy to put himself in harm’s way. However, he was also lucky that Benfica didn’t punish him by making the most of his ‘gifts’ in the first half, when he continuously gave away possession in dangerous areas.

Khephren Thuram – 7

The Frenchman’s outing was a slow burn, as his presence was hardly felt in the first half, but he scored the all-important opener with a daring run and a clever drive to the bottom corner.

Weston McKennie – 7

The USMNT looked disoriented in the first half when he played as a right winger, but relished the opportunity to operate in a central role after the break. He finished off a lovely combination with David with a clinical touch.

Fabio Miretti – 5.5

The Italian midfielder ran hard but was wasteful in possession. He rightly made way for Conceicao after the interval.

Kenan Yildiz – 6

The Turkish star came close on a couple of occasions in the first half, but was kept quiet afterwards. Nevertheless, with the Benfica players closely marking him, his teammates had more room to manoeuvre.

Jonathan David – 6.5

The Canadian frustrated the fans with his wayward header in the first half, but made up for it by producing a couple of assists. He did well to hold off Nicolas Otamendi on the opener and create a path for Thuram, and then put McKennie through on a goal with a simple, yet clever touch.

Substitutes

Francisco Conceicao – 6

Although he didn’t produce a marquee moment against his old rivals, the Sporting Club youth product helped Juventus stretch out the opposition’s backline with his menacing presence on the right wing.

Lois Openda – 5.5

The Belgian was introduced to punish Benfica on the counter, but he didn’t see much of the ball.

Juan Cabal – 6

A good cameo from the Colombian who made himself involved in both phases of the game.

Filip Kostic – N/A

Teun Koopmeiners – N/A