The defeat leaves Juventus’ title hopes in tatters, with Inter Milan (65 points) moving 10 points clear of the Old Lady in third, while second-placed AC Milan are second on 59 points.
Juventus were chasing 10 consecutive Serie A titles in 2020-21, but now they’re off the pace and battling to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Fourth-placed Atalanta are level on points with Juve, while fifth-placed Napoli are two points behind them after beating sixth-placed AS Roma on Sunday night.
Speaking after the Benevento defeat, Pirlo said: “We also needed a little extra desire to get the result, because there was a real opportunity for us to close to gap in the league.
“We have to change our mindset: we wear a jersey of huge importance, which must always be honoured. Our attitude has to be different in games like this.”
The club legend said “everything was off” against Benevento, which has become too familiar this season under him, leaving fans concerned about their ability to genuinely hold on for a top four spot.
“We needed to turn in a better display but we performed poorly, in every aspect of our game,” Pirlo said.
“Everything was off today, in our attitude and in technical situations. We knew this would be tough, because Benevento are an organised team, who defend effectively with two compact lines.
“What we needed was to stay calm and make better use of the flanks, but we made a lot of mistakes. When the result is hanging in the balance, panic can start to set in and that wasn’t the attitude required.”
Juventus have already been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League this season, going down to FC Porto in extra-time in their quarter-final a fortnight ago.