Juventus crisis deepens after Champions League humiliation at Maccabi Haifa

Serie A side facing uphill struggle to make knockout stages after shock defeat in Israel

Juventus' Arkadiusz Milik and Wojciech Szczesny after their Champions League defeat at Maccabi Haifa at the Sammy Ofer Stadium, on October 11, 2022. Reuters

Maccabi Haifa midfielder Omer Atzili celebrates after scoring against Juve. AFP

Juventus forward Angel Di Maria after picking up an injury. AFP

Juventus' Juan Cuadrado, Mattia Perin, Carlo Pinsoglio and Moise Kean after the match. Reuters

Maccabi Haifa's Omer Atzili celebrates after scoring. AFP

Juventus' Arkadiusz Milik and Wojciech Szczesny after the match. Reuters

Juve's Matias Soule reacts to a challenge by Sun Menahem of Maccabi Haifa. EPA

Juventus' Moise Kean challenges Sean Goldberg of Maccabi Haifa. AFP

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri. AFP

Maccabi Haifa's Omer Atzili celebrates after scoring. AFP

Juan Cuadrado was still protesting, arms spread out, to the referee, when Maccabi Haifa set off, purposefully, to seal their upstart triumph.

By the time Cuadrado turned his mind back to his work, a counter-attack, launched when he was dispossessed on halfway by Pierre Cornud, was just about to bear spectacular fruit, Omer Atzili rifling his second goal of the night past Wojciech Szczesny.

Juventus’s 2-0 defeat in Israel on Tuesday all but terminates the Italian club’s Champions League interest for the season, and following hot on the heels of a loss by the same scoreline against AC Milan, a result that left them eighth in a domestic table they have spent most of the last decade routinely leading, it plunges the club into deep crisis.

Some context here: Maccabi Haifa are ranked 111th on the Uefa club coefficient table, a metric based on recent European performances and the strength of a club’s domestic league.

Juventus are ranked eighth. Cuadrado has won five Serie A titles, a Premier League and played at two World Cups. Cornud, a journeyman full-back from France had never played in a top division anywhere until July, when he joined Maccabi, champions of Uefa’s 20th ranked league, 16 places behind Serie A.

By half-time, Juventus were already trailing by two goals, and Szczesny had also watched a thumping free-kick from Tjaronn Chery, the Surinam international, ricochet off his crossbar.

Just before Juve went into the break, Dusan Vlahovic was hitting the turf in anger, after his header had been kept out by Josh Cohen, Maccabi’s alert and elastic-limbed goalkeeper.

If Cuadrado and Vlahovic, Juventus’ €70 million January recruit, felt exasperated and impotent, think of the more distant bystanders to Juve’s spiral downwards.

Paul Pogba, the summer arrival earmarked to smooth supply lines to Vlahovic and bring star quality and leadership to the squad, has yet to play a game in his second spell with them.

Fikayo Tomori celebrates with teammates after scoring AC Milan's first goal in their 2-0 Serie A win against Juventus at the San Siro on October 8, 2022. Getty

Fikayo Tomori celebrates scoring AC Milan's first goal against Juventus. Getty

Fikayo Tomori celebrates scoring AC Milan's first goal. Reuters

Brahim Diaz scores AC Milan's goal during the Serie A match against Juventus. EPA

Brahim Diaz celebrates with AC Milan teammates after scoring the second goal against Juventus. EPA

Brahim Diaz and Rafael Leao celebrate after Diaz scored AC Milan's second goal against Juventus. AFP

AC Milan forward Rafael Leao takes a shot on goal. AFP

Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic and AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer challenge for a header. Reuters

Juventus striker Moise Kean of Juventus is challenged by AC Milan defender Pierre Kalulu. Getty

Juventus midfielder Matias Soule challenges AC Milan forward Rafael Leao. Getty

In his first, Pogba finished every season as an Italian champion. He returned amid fanfare in July, still carrying the knee injury that had curtailed the last season of his last contract with Manchester United. He chose to delay surgery, the better to enhance his World Cup chances; when he realised an operation was essential, his timeline for recovery was cut worryingly short.

It is touch-and-go whether he sees any significant action for Juve before his France coach Didier Deschamps decides on whether to take the risk of including Pogba in his squad for Qatar next month.

Angel Di Maria may be wondering at the wisdom of his move to Italy, too. Among the images of despair on Tuesday night – Cuadrado’s, Vlahovic’s – the Argentinians’s tearful agony when he felt a sharp pain in his thigh after setting off on a sprint after 25 minutes looked especially ominous.

Di Maria, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, faces a third lay-off in his short Juventus career so far, one that had barely begun when he suffered muscle problems. That was followed by a red-card and two-match suspension, but also cast him as a rare figurehead who might raise this struggling Juve to the status the club imagines is its European birthright.

Di Maria, a key player in Argentina’s World Cup plans, had set up all the goals in the 3-1 victory over Maccabi last week, the one win in a group where two of his former clubs – Benfica and PSG – share the leadership, five points above Juve.

PSG 2 Juventus 1: player ratings

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

After the humiliation in Haifa, the Juve president Andrea Agnelli said: “I’m ashamed”, but insisted he was not ready to bring an end to manager Max Allegri’s second term at the club. “At Juventus we don’t fire coaches mid-season,” he responded to the latest round of questioning about Allegri’s immediate future.

What Angelli has done is change coach in three of the last four summers, during a period in which he has also fronted the campaign for a breakaway European Super League.

Not for a long time have Juve looked less qualified to be pathfinders for a competition designed to celebrate the traditional elite.

The decline is beginning to look chronic: The nine successive scudetti, Italian titles, Juve won up to 2020 have been followed by back-to-back fourth places in Serie A.

Since they reached the second of two Champions League finals in three years under Allegri in 2017, they have been ousted twice in the quarter-finals and, in the last three campaigns, at the last 16 stage.