Daniele Rugani (1st L) of FC Juventus vies with Frantzdy Pierrot (2nd R) of Maccabi Haifa during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Maccabi Haifa and FC Juventus in Haifa, Israel, Oct. 11, 2022. (Alain Schieber/JINI via Xinhua)
JERUSALEM, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa achieved a surprising 2-0 home win against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday evening.
The win gave Haifa their first points in Group H after three losses, while Juventus remained with three points from their 3-1 win over Haifa in Turin last week.
Around 30,000 fans at the Sammy Ofer Stadium saw a strong opening by the home team.
Juventus' Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny made several saves, but conceded a goal in the seventh minute to a header by midfielder Omer Atzili, after an accurate cross by French defender Pierre Cornud.
Atzili doubled the score in the 42nd minute with a brilliant shot after a pass by Cornud.
Impressive saves by Haifa goalkeeper Josh Cohen, from headers by Dusan Vlahovic and Daniele Rugani in the 45th and 54th minutes respectively, prevented Juventus from returning to the match.
Later in the second half, Juventus controlled the ball but hardly created scoring chances, allowing the home fans to celebrate an important win.
On the next matchday, Maccabi Haifa will play Paris Saint-Germain in France, while Benfica will host Juventus, with both matches to be played on October 25. ■
Angel Di Maria (C) of FC Juventus competes during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Maccabi Haifa and FC Juventus in Haifa, Israel, Oct. 11, 2022. (Alain Schieber/JINI via Xinhua)
Omer Atzili of Maccabi Haifa greets fans during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Maccabi Haifa and FC Juventus in Haifa, Israel, Oct. 11, 2022. (Alain Schieber/JINI via Xinhua)
Dusan Vlahovic (R) of FC Juventus reacts during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Maccabi Haifa and FC Juventus in Haifa, Israel, Oct. 11, 2022. (Alain Schieber/JINI via Xinhua)
