Juventus Triumphs with McKennie’s Stellar Performance

After a scoreless first half, Juventus took the lead just ten minutes into the second half, courtesy of a goal from Kephren Thuram, giving the hosts a 1-0 advantage. Weston McKennie then extended the lead to 2-0, skillfully combining with Jonathan David to navigate through the Benfica defense before sending a shot past goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.

With this victory, Juventus has secured at least a spot in the knockout phase of the Champions League, and they still have the opportunity to advance to the round of 16 by finishing in the top eight.

Champions League goals have become a recurring theme for McKennie, who has emerged as Juventus’ standout player in this prestigious tournament. With this latest goal, he has now scored in three consecutive matches, netting against Bodo/Glimt, Pafos, and, most recently, Benfica, contributing to three successive wins for Juventus. Additionally, McKennie has recorded two other goals this month in Serie A, finding the back of the net against Lecce and Cremonese.

With his latest strike, McKennie has reached a total of 10 career Champions League goals, placing him just two behind USMNT teammate Christian Pulisic for the most goals scored by an American player in the competition’s history.

However, the challenges continue for Juventus as they prepare for a pivotal Serie A match this weekend against Napoli, who currently sit in third place, compared to Juventus’ fifth. Following this, the Old Lady will conclude the Champions League group phase with a matchup against Folarin Balogun and Monaco.