Juventus have their UEFA Champions League fortunes hanging by a thread after a deserved 2-0 loss away to Maccabi Haifa.
Italian giants Juventus were brought crashing down to earth following the 2-0 reversal against Maccabi Haifa at the Sammy Ofer Stadium.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side were slow to get off the mark and the home side took full advantage of their lethargy. Omer Atzili sent the home fans into raptures with a well-taken finish in the seventh minute. Tjaronn Chery rattled the crossbar in the 13th minute as Maccabi Haifa kept up the pressure.
Juventus were handed another blow in the 24th minute when Angel Di Maria was forced off with a hamstring injury. Haifa continued to show no mercy and deservedly doubled their lead in the 42nd minute thanks to Atzili.
Juventus made a string of changes at half-time and started off brightly. However, Maccabi Haifa braced themselves well and slowly regained the advantage. In the end, the Israeli side came away with a much-needed win, snapping their ten-game losing streak in the UEFA Champions League.
3 – Prior to this season Juventus had never lost three of their first four matches in a #UCL group stage. Collapse.#MaccabiJuve pic.twitter.com/aYLCR0HT90
— OptaPaolo 🏆 (@OptaPaolo) October 11, 2022
The loss leaves Juventus facing an uphill task to qualify for the Last 16. Should they fail to improve, the Italians could face the ultimate humiliation of even finishing at the bottom of their group, ending their participation in Europe even before winter.
This was Maccabi Haifa’s first win in the competition for 20 years. There have been a few others that have looked more convincing. For Juventus, a forgettable season plunges to new depths. The Hard Tackle looks at how the Juventus players fared on the night.
Wojciech Szczesny: 3/10
The Polish international gave a fine reminder of why Mattia Perin should start ahead of him in goal. He was left high and dry by his defence on several occasions and was forced to make some impressive stops to keep the scoreline respectable. Szczesny was, however, far from reliable and could have been beaten more than twice had Maccabi Haifa shown better finishing.
Danilo: 4/10
The Brazilian was toyed with by a superior Maccabi Haifa attack that just wanted it more on the night. Danilo failed to step up his game and was largely a weak chink down Juventus’s right flank. Danilo was taken off in the second half as the Bianconeri sought to find a way back into the game.
Leonardo Bonucci: 4.5/10
The Italian veteran was unable to marshall his backline and was often left indecisive as Maccabi Haifa kept up the pressure. A rough tackle in the 12th minute on Dean David almost cost his side dear as Tjaronn Chery rattled the crossbar from the ensuing freekick. Bonucci also made a couple of crucial blocks throughout the game as Maccabi Haifa refused to give Juventus any respite.
Daniele Rugani: 4.5/10
Rugani was the better of the Juventus centre-backs but it wasn’t much to write home about given the overall performance. He showed off his good passing range at times and seemed more inclined to bring the ball out from the back. Rugani forced Josh Cohen into a brilliant save early in the second half in a rare punt on goal for the visitors.
Alex Sandro: 4/5/10
The Brazilian was an anonymous presence and was taken off for Matias Soule late on. Not many would have known he was even on the field following such an ineffective outing.
Weston McKennie: 4/10
The USMNT international was uninspiring on the right and failed to get going. He earned himself a yellow card in first-half stoppage time thanks to a tackle on Tjaronn Chery. McKennie was taken off for Filip Kostic at half-time.
Mckennie has 0 positional awareness when he isn’t crashing the box
Look at the “support” he offers Milik and Vlahovic when they try to hold it up
— Nycjuventus⚜️ (@NycJuventus) October 11, 2022
Leandro Paredes: 4/10
The Argentine midfielder was invisible on the night and was an unassured presence in the middle of the park. This proved costly as Maccabi Haifa seized control of the middle of the park. Paredes was unsurprisingly pulled at halftime for Manuel Locatelli.
Adrien Rabiot: 4/10
Juventus’s star man in Turin, the Frenchman was missing all game in Israel. Rabiot’s noteworthy moment in the game was when he collided with Josh Cohen in the 49th minute as he was readying to take a shot at goal. How he stayed on for the entirety of the game is a mystery.
Juan Cuadrado: 6/10
The Colombian was one of the few saving graces for Juventus and did not lack effort or hunger. He provided a peach of a cross for Vlahovic in the first half and repeated the trick with Rugani after the break. Cuadrado also made some purposeful runs forward as he tried to inspire his teammates. While his performance was nothing special, it stood out amidst a string of extremely questionable outings.
Angel Di Maria: N/A
The Argentine was the star performer in the reverse fixture but never got going on the night. He was dispossessed by Dylan Batubinsika in the 13th minute, forcing a strong save from Szczesny. Di Maria lasted just 24 minutes and was largely anonymous during that time. He was taken off for Arkadisuz Milik after appearing to pull his hamstring. His upcoming absence will be a massive blow for the Italian giants.
Angel Di Maria was emotional coming off the pitch after picking up an injury 😢 pic.twitter.com/wnExpj2Tk1
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 11, 2022
Dusan Vlahovic: 3/10
The Serb played the part of the invisible man well and only unmasked himself with the 45th-minute header that was well saved by Josh Cohen. Vlahovic did not have another sniff at goal and let his side down as they looked for inspiration.
SUBSTITUTES
Arkadiusz Milik: 3/10
The Polish striker failed to make a difference and had just one effort on goal. Dylan Batubinsika blocked his effort after Vlahovic saw his thumping header saved by Cohen.
Manuel Locatelli: 4.5/10
The UEFA Euro 2020 hero was an improvement over Paredes but not good enough. He also earned himself a yellow card for his troubles.
Filip Kostic: 3/10
Another player who auditioned for the role of the invisible man. Clearly has given him a great chance of being given the role.
Moise Kean: 3/10
A rather inspiring substitution, and Kean never got going.
Matias Soule: N/A
Juventus’s last throw of the dice. Uninspiring to say the least.
