Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara was a relieved man after his side squeezed past Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League.

The Old lady travelled to Israel and recorded an unconvincing 1-0 victory - courtesy of a deflected goal from Mauro Camoranesi in first half injury time.

And despite a spirited showing from the hosts, Juve were able to hang on for all three points and put themselves in a strong position for qualification from Group A.

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia after the match Ferrara said "The group is smiling at us and there are still two matches left. We hope to go to Bordeaux to win and qualify with a game in hand.

"Clearly it was very important that we won tonight and after drawing with Bordeaux in the first game, we have never really stopped moving ahead.

"I noticed that the team had difficulty as we were not able to close the game such as the one against Napoli. But it was important to get the three points. We suffered, but we deserved the win."

With group rivals Bayern Munich suffering a surprise home defeat to Bordeaux, Juve are now four points clear in second place and will fancy their chances of progressing into the last sixteen.