JUVENTUS improved their chances of moving forward in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) after a 2-0 victory against Pafos at the Allianz Stadium, but they had to put in a lot of effort to get the three points.
The away team started off quickly and almost took an unexpected early lead.
Anderson Silva tried a clever backheel close to the goal, but the ball barely missed the post. Then, just a few minutes later, a brilliant save from Michele Di Gregorio stopped Andrea Cambiaso from accidentally scoring into his own net.
After those early scares, Juventus started to take control.
Kenan Yildiz shot from inside the box, but Neofytos Michail pushed it away. In the 10th minute, Teun Koopmeiners had a great chance to score with a free header, but he missed it.
Pafos, however, didn't back down.
They kept pushing back with fast counterattacks and kept threatening Juventus. In the 30th minute, Silva shot and hit the crossbar, while Vlad Dragomir tried a long-range volley that Di Gregorio saved with a brilliant one-handed push over the bar.
On the other side, Jonathan David had a big chance to put Juventus ahead before the break, but he somehow struck wide.
The match ended goalless at halftime, which is hard to believe, but there's no doubt that Juventus were surprised by Pafos' strong fight to match them.