In an interview, Juventus coach Spalletti spoke about the "Old Lady's" Champions League match against Benfica, saying that the team faced a lot of extra pressure during the game, but believed that the players had made significant progress in dealing with the opponent's counter-attacks.

Thuram received the ball in the 55th minute of the second half, evaded his marker, and fired a low shot into the net, giving Juventus a 1-0 lead. In the 64th minute, Jonathan David crossed the ball, and McKennie met it and scored, extending Juventus' lead to 2-0.

In the 80th minute, Brehme fouled an opposing player while contesting for possession, giving Benfica a penalty opportunity. However, Pavlidis slipped and missed the penalty, failing to pull one back for Benfica.

Juventus ultimately defeated Benfica 2-0 at home. With these three points, Juventus sits in 15th place in the league standings with 12 points.

Juventus coach Spalletti said, "Sometimes I worry a little about not winning, but that's just my personality. It was a very important game, and if we didn't bring home a result like that, there would be more pressure, so the tension would build up. We started well, but then the game became more evenly matched. We positioned ourselves too deep and lost possession very easily on several occasions, which put unnecessary extra pressure on ourselves."

“We also encountered difficulties at the beginning of the second half, but then we regained our rhythm. Benfica had chances in the first half, and our Miletti and McKennie also had chances. The game was in this situation for a long time, and if the opponent had scored a penalty, the situation could have been very tense. That penalty could have been avoided because we didn’t need to force the ball every time.”

Spalletti also stated, "I want to see faster reactions and earlier anticipation of when the opponent will counterattack, because this ferocity and aggression are an indispensable part of modern football. Our radar must always be on, but we are losing possession frequently due to being too hasty, and our passing is disjointed."

“Benfica is trying to take the initiative, and if we want to compete at this level, we have to get used to these situations. But I must say, I have seen very obvious progress.”

Regarding the performance of other players, Spalletti said, "Jonathan David is a player who knows how to play football. He may lack a bit of decisiveness and ferocity, and he sees every game as pretty much the same. He has a good boy temperament, but perhaps he needs more experience to become more decisive."

“Yldiz is a special presence on the team, the most outstanding one, but his defense isn’t as good as McKennie’s. These days, it’s not enough to just do some things and not others; players must become more complete and help the team.”

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