Juventus suffered a major blow in their hopes of winning a 10th straight Serie A title after losing at home against 16th placed Benevento.
The Bianconeri could not overcome the upset they suffered in the Champions League Round of 16 after getting knocked out by FC Porto and it has cost them dearly in their quest for the Scudetto this season.
Adolfo Gaich snatched an important winner for bottom-half side Benevento at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. He pounced on a stray pass by Arthur to slot home against the Italian giants in the 69th minute, on a day when the Italian giants looked far from their best.
Juventus had a penalty overturned and Cristiano Ronaldo had a goal disallowed as the visitors ended an 11-game winless run with one of the season’s biggest upsets.
Juve are now 10 points behind leaders Inter Milan with just 11 games to play so the tide is turning against the record 36-time league winners.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Hakan Calhanoglu found the back of the net for AC Milan as they beat Fiorentina in a tight game that finished 3-2. The Rossoneri stay in the hunt for the Serie A title, now just 6 points behind Inter. The leaders, however, do have a game in hand.
Juventus lose for the first time at home since December
Adolfo Gaich (L) of Benevento Calcio celebrates after scoring. (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Andrea Pirlo’s suffered their first home defeat since December against a Benevento side that snatched the win with their only shot in the game.
Juventus themselves had a number of chances, which was not surprising given their firepower but Benevento goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo was up for the challenge.
Filippo Inzaghi’s side left with all 3 points thanks to their keeper who was in top form as he pulled off some decisive saves from Ronaldo, Matthijs de Ligt and Alvaro Morata.
Montipo was also called upon to tip a headed second-half clearance from team-mate Federico Barba over the bar in what was truly a man-of-the-match performance that could see them well and truly remaining in the top flight for next season as well.
The Italian champions, however, were even awarded a penalty in the 35th minute when the ball appeared to brush Daam Foulon’s arm as he tried to get his chest to a cross, but referee Rosario Abisso overturned his decision after being instructed to watch a replay on the pitch side monitor by VAR.
Juventus continued to press forward in the second half, but failed to apply the finishing touches as Gaich intercepted a weak pass across goal from Arthur against the run of play before coolly beating Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Benevento have moved seven points clear of the relegation spots.
Post-match comments
Lorenzo Montipo was the man-of-the-match. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo said, “It’s not a question of pressure, we had to play a better game, we had to win.
“We had a bad game in every way. We rushed too much, we made too many mistakes.
“We have to continue to believe in the title. We must continue to follow our path to be able to try to stay there. The objective does not change, it is the head which must change.”
Benevento captain Nicolas Viola was buzzing post-match as he said, “This was a game that marks a turning point. We had the right attitude.
“We are overjoyed. We are a humble team and when we find courage, we are hard to beat. We make the opposition play badly.”
Oh, you have to love the unpredictability of football!
