'It's a shame' - Juventus missing 'strength of champions' against Real Madrid as Igor Tudor rues 'mistakes' in narrow Champions League defeat

Juventus suffered their second consecutive defeat, going down 1-0 to Real Madrid in the Champions League. Pierre Kalulu had the first real chance of the game when a ricochet fell kindly to him, but his effort was blocked by Raul Asencio. Juventus continued to press, with Weston McKennie testing Thibaut Courtois with a shot that was well saved. Michele De Gregorio also kept out attempts from Aurelien Tchouameni and Brahim Diaz, as Juventus tried to find a breakthrough.

The momentum gradually shifted in Madrid’s favour. Kylian Mbappe’s low shot, assisted by Diaz, was saved at the near post by De Gregorio. In the second half, Dusan Vlahovic made a surging run on a long-ball counter, holding off Militao, but his shot was again denied by Courtois.

Madrid eventually took the lead when Vinicius Jr turned past three Juventus defenders and fired a shot that struck the post and fell to Jude Bellingham, who calmly tapped it into the empty net. Later, Diaz made a high tackle on Khephren Thuram, catching him on the ankle, but was only shown a yellow card. Juventus had a late opportunity to equalise when Jonathan David laid off a through ball for Lois Openda, whose extra touch allowed a block from Asencio to prevent the goal.

In the post-match interview, Juventus boss Tudor expressed his disappointment at not being able to secure a point and admitted it was a shame the team could not score. 

“There's disappointment about not taking home a point. The lads are disappointed, it's a shame we didn't score,” he said. “They all need to be leaders. We're a little below where I'd like us to be. We have a lot of new players and we've lacked the influence of the champions we usually have."

The Croatian coach rued the mistakes his team made, noting that without errors, all games would end 0-0. “There was individual skill. [Vinícius] managed to shoot between three players and also had a bit of luck. Without mistakes, the matches would end 0-0.”

Juventus’ loss to Madrid extended their winless run to seven games, including five draws and two defeats. The Bianconeri had started the season strongly with three wins in three matches, including a thrilling 4-3 victory over Inter in the Derby d’Italia. However, subsequent draws against Hellas Verona, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Villarreal and AC Milan, followed by losses to Como and now Madrid, have seen Juventus slip to seventh in Serie A and 25th in the Champions League, increasing pressure on manager Igor Tudor.

Tudor was appointed interim coach last season following the sacking of Thiago Motta. After unsuccessful attempts to bring in Gian Piero Gasperini and Antonio Conte, Juventus confirmed Tudor as permanent head coach. However, with the team’s current poor form, Tudor is facing mounting scrutiny. While the club has publicly expressed support, they have quietly explored two other managerial options as potential replacements. Replacing Tudor could prove complicated, as Juventus are still paying Motta, and adding a third coach to the payroll could further strain the club’s ongoing compliance with UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations.

Juventus will be eager to turn their fortunes around when they host Lazio at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday. The clash against Lazio offers an opportunity for Igor Tudor’s side to respond positively, address their defensive and attacking issues, and begin climbing back up the league table.