A Benevento corner is punched away by Szczesny but the away side attempt to maintain the pressure as they hunt for an equaliser. Suddenly the break is on for Juventus but Higuain eventually overruns the ball instead of passing and the danger is gone. One minute to go.
90' +1
The fourth official has indicated three minutes of additional time.
90'
Juventus come forward again. Higuain does well to flick the ball into the path of Bentancur on the edge of the box, who fires low towards the bottom right corner. It is well saved by Brignoli though and the following corner is comfortably dealt with by the Benevento defence.
89'
F. Bernardeschi gets yellow.
Federico Bernardeschi is booked for a poorly timed challenge on the edge of the pitch.
87'
V. Parigini enters the game and replaces D. Cataldi.
R. Bentancur enters the game and replaces P. Dybala.
Final change for Juventus as Paulo Dybala is replaced by Rodrigo Bentancur.
Benevento also make their final change. Danilo Cataldi is replaced by Vittorio Parigini.
86'
Juventus try to work something down the left wing as Mandzukic lays the ball off to Alex Sandro and makes a run to the byline. The return pass is poor though and is straight out of play.
85'
L. Antei gets yellow.
Benevento pressing high now as they search for an equaliser. The game is becoming a little scrappy now.
Luca Antei is booked for a foul on Higuain.
83'
Substitute Bernardeschi's first sniff of action as he finds space on the right of the box. He has time to pick his pass and plays a well weighted cross towards the back post but it is intercepted by the head of Djimsiti.
81'
F. Bernardeschi enters the game and replaces J. Cuadrado.
Juan Cuadrado is replaced by Federico Bernardeschi for Juventus.
79'
Cicirreti tries to race in behind the Juventus backline but Chiellini shows great experience and strength to prevent the run behind and wins a goal kick in the process. Good work from the Juventus centre-back, who has had an impressive afternoon.
Minute
Description
78'
M. Mandžukić enters the game and replaces Douglas Costa.
Douglas Costa is off in the first Juventus subsitution of the afternoon. Mario Mandžukić replaces him.
77'
Slow and patient passing play from Juventus now as they try to draw the Benevento players towards them. It is played to Alex Sandro outside the centre of the box but his shot flies straight over the bar.
75'
Chiellini breaks from the back line to intercept a loose pass and curls a pass towards the right wing for Cuadrado to chase. He looks to be in the clear but Brignoli rushes off his line and well outside of his box to beat the Colombian to the ball and hammer away the danger.
73'
G. Higuaín gets yellow.
Gonzalo Higuaín is booked for simulation on the edge of the Benevento box.
71'
Out of nothing and Benevento are inches away from an equaliser. A throw in from the left bounces in front of Danilo Cataldi and he unleashes a fierce drive towards goal. It has Szczesny beaten at the far post but it curls just narowly wide of the mark.
Samuel Armenteros is off in place of Massimo Coda.
70'
M. Coda enters the game and replaces S. Armenteros.
Alex Sandro has space inside the left of the box but his driven effort is wild and far off the mark.
68'
Benevento will have to come out and play now if they are to stop their horrendous league form from continuing and that will likely play nicely into Juventus' hands. The home side in total control now and playing with renewed confidence.
65'
J. Cuadrado has scored a goal for Juventus! Assist by Alex Sandro.
Alex Sandro has been busy all afternoon down that left flank and he gets his reward, setting up Juan Cuadrado to nod home and give Juventus the lead.
GOAL! The high pressure and intensity continues to pay off for Juventus as they get their second goal. Alex Sandro's cross from the left is met by the unmarked Juan Cuadrado at the far post and he could not miss from there. He heads it into the ground and beyond the diving Brignoli. 2-1 Juventus.
64'
Juventus continue to push for another goal and the cracks are starting to appear in this Benevento defence. This could be a long half for the away side if it continues like this.
62'
C. Lombardi enters the game and replaces A. Lazaar.
Achraf Lazaar comes off for Benevento to be replaced by Cristiano Lombardi.
Cuadrado crosses from the right and it is met with a powerful header from Matuidi. He cannot get it on target though and it sails over the crossbar.
59'
Another chance for Juventus and another lucky escapae for Benevento. The initial low shot from Cuadrado inside the right of the box is parried away by Brignoli and Higuain cannot generate enough power on the follow up to trouble the Benevento goalkeeper. All Juventus and they show no signs of relenting.
57'
G. Higuaín has scored a goal for Juventus! Assist by B. Matuidi.
FINALLY! Juventus get their goal and it is a well taken strike by Gonzalo Higuain. A cross from the right looks to be going nowhere but Matuidi races to the far post to head it back into the path of the Argentine striker. He gets his left-foot high on the half-volley to curl it beyond Brignoli and towards the far post. Juventus are level after a flurry of missed chances.
Blase Matuidi with a brilliant knockdown at the far post for Higuain to fire in the Juventus equaliser.
56'
Juventus come down the right and a cross is met by the head of Higuain, but he cannot direct it on target. It bounces beyond the swinging feet of not one, but two Juventus players before eventually being cleared away by a defender.
54'
Benevento finally seeing a little bit of the ball. They do well to find space on the left but the cross towards the centre of the box is a little too close to Szczesny.
50'
Juventus in full control so far. All the possession but so far not creating much in front of goal. Benevento are holding their formation well and closing the space well against the Serie A champions.
48'
Higuain takes up responsibility for this latest free-kick, this time curling it around the right of the wall but unfortunately for Juventus, just beyond the right post.
47'
An early free-kick right on the edge of the Benevento box for Juventus. They are continuing this second half as they ended the first.
46'
Juventus get us back underway. Neither side have made any personnel changes at half time.
45' +3
The free-kick is taken by Costa this time from a similar position of Dybala's. He makes Brignoli a little more than his teammate but it is still a little too central and is well beaten away by the Benevento stopper.
45' +2
R. Chibsah gets yellow.
Benevento get up the pitch for the first time in a while and they have earned themselves a corner. Could they make it two?
Raman Chibsah is booked for that foul.
No, they cannot. The corner is swung in from the right but it is straight into the arms for Szczesny for a very comfortable catch. A free-kick at the other end as Juventus attempted to break forward from that corner kick.
45' +1
The fourth official has indicated two minutes of additional time.
45'
Another free-kick for Dybala around 22 yards from goal on the right of the box. He curls it around the wall but it is straight into the arms of Brignoli.
44'
A Dybala free-kick is blocked by the wall on the edge of the box. Benevento are showing brilliant fighting spirit and are not being afraid to throw their bodies on the line to maintain their slender lead.
43'
C. Marchisio gets yellow.
Claudio Marchisio receives Juventus' first yellow card of the afternoon.
42'
Higuain with a chance barely eight yards from goal but he can only find the back of Luca Antei. Juventus are ramping up the pressure now but they simply cannot get a shot on target, with Higuain's effort looking like it was bobbling wide of the left post.
41'
Dybala this time with a surprising miss. Cuadrado crosses from the right towards the back post and Higuain does well to head it down towards the centre of the box. Dybala races onto it and fires his shot into the ground with plenty of space around him and it bounces over the crossbar.
40'
Another good chance goes begging for Juventus. This time Mattia De Seciglio swings in a delightful cross towards the back post but Matuidi completely mistimes his run and can only get a faint touch on it to keep it in play.
38'
Brignoli is in fine form this afternoon. A dangerous cross is swung in from the left by Costa and the Benevento goalkeeper is quickly off his line to get a strong fist to it and knock it well clear of his box.
37'
D. Cataldi gets yellow.
Danilo Cataldi is the first to receive a yellow card this afternoon for a foul on Cuadrado.
36'
Benevento try to play out from the back straight from a goal kick and almost throw themselves straight back into danger. Juventus are pressing really high now in search of an equaliser.
34'
What a save! Dybala showing great acceleration to beat his man on the edge of the box. He shoots towards the left of the goal but Brignoli reacts brilliantly to palm the ball away. Juventus are starting to up the tempo here and it could be a matter of hanging on until half time for Benevento now.
31'
How did he miss!? Dybala shows excellent footwork on the edge of the Benevento box, wriggling away from his marker to slot Cuadrado into space inside the right of the box. He only has the keeper to beat from a decent angle and he fires it straight over the bar. Juventus could be left to rue should a clear cut opportunity.
30'
Yet another Juventus corner as Marchisio's half volley from the edge of the box is blocked by the face of a Benevento player. The corner misses everyone and rolls off towards the halfway line.
27'
Juventus back in possession after a short delay after a head injury to Chiellini. And suddenly Benevento play themselves into danger again. Higuain is dispossessed on the edge of the box and the loose ball falls to Cuadrado on the right. His powerful effort is blocked by some brave defending from Gianluca Di Chiara, who threw his body in the way.
24'
A Juventus corner is swung in from the left and Chiellini rises high to meet it, but Raman Chibsah jumps just ahead of him to clear the danger. The break is then on for Benevento but Cuadrado races back prevent the danger with a well timed sliding challenge.
22'
Juventus come close to a quickfire equaliser. Another cross from the left by Alex Sandro and it it looks to be going nowhere. Djimsiti swings his foot at it and horribly miscues his clearance straight into the feet of Juan Cuadrado on the edge of the six yard box. Luckily for him, Cuadrado failed to make any real contact and could not steer it beyond Brignoli. Benevento escape with one there.
19'
A. Ciciretti has scored a goal for Benevento!
GOAL! Amato Ciciretti wins the free-kick and it is Ciciretti who puts it in the back of the net! A brilliant left-footed curling effort around the wall and into the bottom left corner. Szczesny was rooted to the spot and was getting nowhere near that. Brilliant free-kick and Benevento are ahead against the run of play.
18'
A chance for Benevento. A chipped pass from the left is cleared by the Juventus back line, Ciciretti latches onto the loose ball and is adjudged to have been fouled on the edge of the box. A good range and very central for a shooting opportunity.
15'
Unbelievably close! Alex Sandro fires the ball down the left wing for Costa on the edge of the box. He looks to be lining up a cross but instead fires a powerful effort towards the top left of the goal, but it ricochet's off the corner of the cross bar and away from goal. You sense that a Juventus goal is not far away on this display.
14'
Benevento are starting to see a little bit more of the ball but they are struggling to get beyond the halfway line. The Juventus players are closing the spaces well and forcing them to go long, which is comfortably cleared each time.
9'
Juventus earned themselves another corner from that last attack and played it to the edge of the box for Marchisio, who's drilled effort flies wide of the left post. The home side in full control at the moment.
8'
The threat is coming down the left wing for Juventus as Alex Sandro once again beats his marker and swing in a deep cross. Gonzalo Higuain manages to bring it down and cross it back towards the left post but Alberto Brignoli is quickly off his line to punch the ball clear.
6'
Better from Juventus and they earn themselves a corner. Chiellini slots in a brilliant pass into the left of the box for the run of Alex Sandro and it takes a timely sliding interception by Lorenzo Venuti to clear the danger. The follow up corner finds the head of Rugani but it is high over the bar.
4'
Juventus do finally find a bit of space on the left wing but Alex Sandro's cross is too deep and bounces beyond the far post for a goal kick.
3'
Both sides trying to get a bit of rythm going in these opening stages, stringing a couple of passes together around the midfield and backline. No action in the final thirds to speak of so far.
1'
We're underway here at the Allianz Stadium. Benevento with the kick off, going right to left.
Their defence of the Serie A title has been far more contested than it has been in recent seasons for Juventus and they sit third in the league, three points adrift of leaders Napoli despite winning nine of their opening 11 games. Juventus have the quality in their squad however to take on the title race straight until then end however and will be expected to pick up three points again today.
Manager Massimiliano Allegri will be expected to make some changes to his squad for today’s game to cope with injuries and give some players a rest. Gianluigi Buffon, Mario Mandzukic and Sami Khedira are among those who are expected to be rested. Mario Pjanic, Medhi Benatia and Marko Pjaca are all ruled out with quadricep, ankle and knee injuries respectively.
De Zebri’s side lack firepower after scoring only four goals so far this season and it looks like that could continue to be a problem today with the late absence of striker Pietro Iemmello to a hamstring injury. Defender Andrea Costa is also expected to miss today’s game with the same injury.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this afternoon…
Juventus XI (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; De Sciglio, Rugani, Chiellini, Sandro; Marchisio, Matuidi; Cuadrado, Dybala, Costa; Higuain.
Allegri makes a number of changes to the Juventus side that drew 1-1 with Sporting Lisbon in the midweek Champion’s League fixture. Gianluigi Buffon, Sami Khedira, Mario Mandzukic will be rested as expected. Miralem Pjanic is missing through injury and Andrea Barzagli also drops to the bench. Wojciech Szczesny will start in goal and Daniele Rugani, Cludio Marchisio, Blaise Matuidi and Douglas Costa are on in place of the other absentees.
There are three changes to the Benevento side that were trounced 5-1 by Lazio in their previous league fixture. Pietro Iemmello is missing through injury as expected, with Ledian Memushaj and Cristiano Lombardi dropping to the bench today. In their places come Samuel Armenteros, Amato Ciciretti and Berat Djimsiti.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
Benevento have suffered the worst start to a season in Serie A, losing all 11 of their fixtures so far this season, conceding 29 goals in the process. Their horrendous form prompted the dismissal of coach Marco Baroni and appointment of Roberto De Zerbi. They were obliterated 5-1 by Lazio in the following game and it is hard to see beyond a 12th straight defeat at the hands Juventus today.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Serie A game between Juventus and Benevento at the Allianz Stadium.
HALF-TIME: Juventus 0 - 1 Benevento
A game of missed opportunities as far as Juventus are concerned so far as they are a goal down at the break. Ciciretti's brilliantly taken free-kick for what was Benevento's only real chance of the game gave the away side the lead and despite Juventus peppering the Benevento box wave after wave of attack, they just simply could not find the target. Dybala, Matuidi and Cuadrado are all guilty of missing some clear opportunities and they will have to be much improved in the second half if they are to beat the in-form Brignoli.
Fun stat: Juventus have conceded the first goal from outside the box in the current Serie A season.
The players are coming back onto the pitch, ahead of the start of the second half.
FULL-TIME: Juventus 2-1 Benevento
It wasn't a comfortable victory by any means for Juventus but it was certainly a hard fought one. They were behind to Amato Cicirreti's first half free-kick and were guilty of plenty of wasted opportunities. But in the end the Italian champions superior quality proved the difference as well taken goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Juan Cuadrado secured a difficult 2-1 victory. The wins means Juventus climb to second in the table, a point behind leaders Napoli after they and Inter Milan both were held to a draw today. Benevento remain at the foot of the table, zero points and stretch their unwanted record in the Serie A.
Commentary
More…