Video: Spalletti slaps Openda during Juventus 2-0 Benfica

Luciano Spalletti drew attention to himself after his decision to slap centre-forward Lois Openda before bringing him on during Juventus’s 2-0 victory against Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday night. 

Juventus kept their dreams of finishing the Champions League league phase in the top eight alive with a 2-0 victory against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on Tuesday night: Khephren Thuram and Weston McKennie with the goals. 

Despite their victory, and the fact that they have drawn level on points with rivals Inter, one of the biggest talking points of Juventus’s victory was Spalletti’s decision to slap Openda on the sidelines. 

Luciano Spalletti found a unique way to motivate and celebrate with his players during Juventus’ 2-0 win over Benfica 😲 pic.twitter.com/LpetFJ8HNo

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 21, 2026

The incident occurred just after McKennie had doubled Juve’s advantage midway through the second half. 

While the players celebrated, the cameras stayed on the Juventus dugout, and showed Spalletti slapping Openda and telling him: ‘You have to wake up’, according to various outlets including Tuttosport. 

This was not the only touchline incident on Tuesday night that made headlines. Spalletti was also caught in confrontation with a supporter earlier on, telling the fan: ‘Listen, I only have fixe substitutions’ in response to frustrations regarding team selection.