Kenan Yildiz: ‘A good Juventus victory, but I could’ve done better’ | OneFootball

Kenan Yildiz was named Man of the Match after Juventus beat Pafos in the Champions League, but insists he ‘could’ve done better’ when providing an assist.

The Bianconeri had a rough first half in Turin and were jeered off the pitch by their fans, as Pafos had the best scoring opportunities and hit the woodwork.

However, Weston McKennie broke the deadlock by firing into the roof of the net from a tricky angle, then six minutes later Jonathan David finished off a well-worked team move for 2-0.

Kenan Yildiz rewarded by UEFA panel

Kenan Yildiz plays for Juventus against Pafos in the Champions League (@juventusfc)

“It was a good performance, I think the first half was good too and we were lacking a goal, but we had more determination after the break and did well,” Kenan Yildiz told Sky Sport Italia.

“This victory is for the team, I can also do better when I missed a goal, I should’ve provided an assist for David, but I didn’t see him. At least I got it later.”

The victory was sorely needed for morale after Sunday’s 2-1 Serie A defeat to Napoli saw them stuck in seventh place.

“The defeat was painful for us, we trained with concentration, we had a good performance today and hope to keep improving.”

TURIN, ITALY – DECEMBER 02: Luciano Spalletti, Head Coach of Juventus, looks on prior to the Serie C match between Ternana Calcio and Juventus Next Gen at Allianz Stadium on December 02, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Luciano Spalletti said that Kenan Yildiz does things in training that people wouldn’t believe, so what did the coach mean?

“I don’t know, I always give 100 per cent in training, as it helps me to grow and means I can help the team in match situations.”

This is the second Champions League win in a row for Juve, after their 3-2 victory away to Bodo/Glimt, and puts them on nine points from six rounds.

It’s still not a great tally, but it does bump them up to 17th place, just shy of the seeded teams in the play-offs.