It took Dusan Vlahovic just 31 seconds to register his first goal as a Champions League player, a stunning statistic he will carry with him forever.
It was an emphatic endorsement of the claims by the Juventus executives who made the Serbian striker the major signing of the last winter transfer window that they had, in Vlahovic, a generational talent to compare to Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, his contemporaries.
Eight months on, Vlahovic is learning how hard it is to keep up with the true elite.
He will lead the line for Juventus in Lisbon on Tuesday confronted with some brutal mathematics. If Juve do not return home with a victory, they will be out of the Champions League. The form guide is not reassuring.
Vlahovic, 23, will be confronted with a defence that has kept four clean sheets in its last five league outings, a Benfica unbeaten in all 19 matches across competitions this season. “We are in a good situation,” said the Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, “and we’re confident.”
Vlahovic will recall that in the first Group H collision, when the Portuguese Primeira Liga leaders won 2-1 in Turin, he failed to test Vlachodimos even once, largely for being so expertly marshalled by the Benfica prodigy Antonio Silva – a central defender who, still shy of his 19th birthday, has been one of the revelations of 2022-23.
Vlahovic may want to advise him how the Champions League can turn very quickly from a platform for stardom to a theatre of uncomfortable spotlight. Since he made his astonishing debut in it, scoring almost immediately after the kick-off at Villarreal in a last-16 tie in February, Juventus have won only one match of the six European games he has played in. Vlahovic’s only other goal was at home to Maccabi Haifa.
PSG 2-1 Juventus ratings
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PSG RATINGS: Gianluigi Donnarumma 7 – Made three important saves, the first of which was an incredible stop at point-blank range to deny Milik’s goal-bound header from inside the six-yard box. He then saved well from Milik again in the second half, and reacted well as Juve threatened to level in the last 10 minutes. AFP -
Sergio Ramos 6 – Following Donnarumma’s early wonder-save, the Spanish defender cleared the ball after it had been redirected goalwards. Was booked in the first half for petulance. AFP -
Marquinhos 7 – One of his best performances so far this season. He dropped deep to get possession from goal kicks and get PSG moving forwards, though he looked twitchy as Juve grew into the game in the second half. AFP -
Presnel Kimpembe 6 – Caught teammate Veratti flush in the face with his elbow by accident when celebrating the first goal. Looked solid until Juve applied pressure after the break, at which point he looked nervous. AFP -
Nuno Mendes 6 – Was very quick to win the ball back when PSG’s attackers lost possession. AFP -
Achraf Hakimi 7 – The Moroccan was solid at the back and looked a threat going forward. He was part of a neat one-two that provided the assist for Mbappe to score the second goal, and he was a constant source of inspiration from the right. Didn’t always make the right decisions, though. AP Photo -
Marco Verratti 6 – The Italian started the move that led to PSG’s second goal when he got the ball forward to Mbappe, who then linked with Hakimi before netting. Lost his way a bit in the second half, though contributed a vital block. AFP -
Vitinha 7 – The Portuguese looked comfortable on the ball and is a key part of this PSG side at both ends. He watched a first-half effort on goal flash wide of the post, but his teasing runs were always a danger. EPA -
Lionel Messi 6 – The Argentine worked on the periphery of the Juve box. He linked well with Mbappe multiple times, and once laid the ball off to Vitinha, whose effort went wide. Came close with a trademark effort from the edge of the area after cutting inside. AFP -
Kylian Mbappé 8 – Survived some hefty challenges early on to open the scoring with a ludicrous volley. Neymar scooped the ball over the defence, and the Frenchman cut across the ball to volley home past Perin. He doubled his tally following a neat one-two with Hakimi. He thrashed at a chance to make it three when Neymar was in a better scoring position, and dragged another effort wide following a perfectly weighted pass from Messi. AFP -
Neymar 8 – Lively start in which his quick feet had Juventus all over the place. His audacious scooped pass found Mbappe, who volleyed home. Later, he thought he’d earned his side a penalty, but the referee waved away his appeals. Was involved in a slick move involving Messi and Mbappe, and his flick was to his Argentine teammate was as delicious as it was outrageous. AFP -
SUBS: Nordi Mukiele (Hakimi, 78) N/A – Added fresh legs for Hakimi, who looked shattered. Mukiele struggled to get into the rhythm of the game. Reuters -
Danilo Pereira (Vitinha, 78) N/A – Set Mbappe free with a strong run and perfectly weighted pass soon after coming on. AFP -
Carlos Soler (Messi, 84) N/A – Was part of a breathtaking attack alongside Neymar, and though the Brazilian opted to pass to Mbappe, Soler’s movement pulled his defenders out of the way. AFP -
Renato Sanches (Verratti, 87) N/A – Will appreciate the – albeit limited – game time among PSG’s crowded midfield options. AFP -
JUVENTUS RATINGS: Mattia Perin 7 – Made a couple of good saves to deny Neymar and Messi, but could do little to stop either of Mbappe’s efforts. AFP -
Danilo 4 – Had a tough evening, though was asked to play centrally against a formidable forward line. AFP -
Leonardo Bonucci 5 – The Italian was typically well positioned to try and clear his lines, but he looked terrified any time either Mbappe or Neymar ran at pace towards him. AFP -
Gleison Bremer 4 – The Brazilian made his Champions League debut and endured a tough evening alongside Bonucci. Lost Mbappe for the first. Getty Images -
Juan Cuadrado 5 – An evening of inconsistency, summed up by two first-half moments. First, he was guilty of a strange wayward pass when, after receiving the ball in an attacking position, he punted it back aimlessly into his own half. Moments later, he delivered an exquisite cross on to the head of Milik, who’s effort was saved by Donnarumma. AFP -
Leandro Paredes 6 – Struggled to keep pace with PSG, though he was Juve’s most consistent passer of the night. Made the most passes, and rarely gave the ball away. AFP -
Adrien Rabiot 5 – Grew into the game. His first meaningful contribution was a left-footed effort when he had better options around him. AFP -
Fabio Miretti 5 – Battled well throughout – and did better in the second half – but struggled to contain PSG on the attack. EPA -
Filip Kostic 6 – Delivered a wonderful cross that McKennie headed home to half the deficit for the visitors. He then came close with a volley moments later that was blocked on the line. AFP -
Arkadiusz Milik 7 – Came close twice, and can consider himself a bit unlucky to be substituted. His first effort was a header from point-blank range that Donnarumma somehow palmed away, and he came close again with a glancing header in the second half. AFP -
Dusan Vlahovic 5 – Looked blunt in attack, though was in a good position late on only for substitute Kean to ignore him. EPA -
SUBS: Weston McKennie (Miretti, 46) 7 – Rose tallest to head home from a Kostic cross and hand Juve a lifeline. Was a handful when he came on. AFP -
Manuel Locatelli (Milik, 68) 5 – Milik had come closest to finding the net for Juve, but the visitors actually looked more cohesive without him on the field. AFP -
Mattia de Sciglio (Cuadrado, 74) N/A – Fitted well into Allegri’s system and looked an upgrade on Cuadrado. AFP -
Moise Kean (Rabiot, 87) N/A – Had a great chance to square the ball when through but opted not to pass to Vlahovic, who was in a better position. AFP
Juventus then lost 2-0 in Haifa, a headline result described by the club’s president, Andrea Agnelli, as “shameful”. It has hastened Juventus, Champions League finalists in 2015 and 2017, towards a first group-phase exit in nine years.
They trail Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain, second and first in the group, by five points. Even successive victories over those two would not guarantee Juve, whose president is a lead promoter of a breakaway Super League that would entrench the elite position of clubs like his, not being relegated to the Europa League.
Safe to report this was not quite what Vlahovic anticipated when he joined from Fiorentina for over €80m in January. Juventus, champions of Italy nine times on the trot until 2021, went on to finish fourth in Serie A.
The strikers with whom he had been bracketed, meanwhile surveyed their own bright new frontiers, Haaland joining Manchester City and setting about his record-breaking spree as a finisher, Mbappe signing with PSG the most lucrative contract in the sport's history.
Juventus operate at a level below those clubs. Vlahovic will glance behind him on Tuesday and see none of the midfielders brought into the club in the summer tasked with serving the 22-year-old with passes and chances.
There will be no searching through-balls from Angel Di Maria, who is still recuperating from a muscle problem. Nor will Leandro Paredes, who arrived with Di Maria from PSG, be winning any duels. He is also out with injury. Paul Pogba, the stellar close-season recruit, has yet to play this season, and although he is back in training following treatment to a knee problem, he is not deemed ready for the make-or-break in Lisbon.
But a depleted Juventus is still Juventus, insisted Roger Schmidt, the Benfica head coach.
”It’s not wise for us to think about their problems,” Schmidt said, ahead of targeting the single point that would almost certainly assure Benfica’s progress to the knockouts.
“When you look at all their tradition, the experience of their coach, Max Allegri, and their players, we have to expect the best Juve. They will have a very good team on the pitch. In the match we played in Turin, they did not have Manuel Locatelli or Adrian Rabiot in midfield and they still made it tough for us. Locatelli and Rabiot will be there this time.”
Rabiot’s form – four goals from midfield in his last five matches – is a point of optimism for the beleaguered Allegri, who declared at the weekend, following the 4-0 victory over Empoli, that he was starting to see “a proper Juventus” emerge from their scratchy, disrupted start to the campaign.
It gave Juve back-to-back wins for the first time this season. “Our fitness levels are improving,” said Allegri, “and we’re looking more like a team again.”
