The Juventus Men’s First Team put in a brave and commendable performance on the pitch against Galatasaray to win 3-2 on the night, but it wasn't enough to secure a place in the next round of the Champions League as it was a 5-7 aggregate defeat.
Having gone down to ten players at the start of the second half, the Bianconeri still managed to take the game into extra time. However, two goals in extra time for the Turkish side saw the match end 3-2, bringing the Bianconeri's European adventure to an end.
THE MATCH REPORT
At the Allianz Stadium, Juventus approached the match against Galatasaray with bravery, pace and great attacking intent, taking control of the game from the very first minutes. The Bianconeri got off to a flying start, as Kenan Yildiz sent a precise cross into the box, where Federico Gatti rose at just the right moment, but the header went just wide. In the 10th minute, another cross, this time from the right, created danger. Chico Conceicao sent in an inviting ball which Teun Koopmeiners pounced on but failed to find the target. The Bianconeri's pressure did not let up as the minutes passed. In the 22nd minute, Manuel Locatelli tried to surprise the Gala defence with a shot from distance, but the visiting goalkeeper deflected it for a corner. From the resulting corner, Conceicao attempted a left-footed curler towards the far post, but it went just wide.
On the half-hour mark, Yildiz took matters into his own hands inside the box, skipped past a man and shot towards the near post, and the deflection almost fooled Ugurcan Cakir, who managed to stretch out and deny Luciano Spalletti's side the lead. However, a goal was clearly on the way and it arrived in the 37th minute. Khephren Thuram was brought down in the penalty area and the referee pointed to the spot: Locatelli stepped up and coolly beat the visiting goalkeeper to make it 1-0, sending the Allianz Stadium into raptures. It was a deserved half-time lead for Juventus.
The second half began with a shock as Lloyd Kelly was sent off, forcing Juventus to play the entire second half with ten players. However, the momentum of the match remained unchanged as Juventus continued to dominate. In the 55th minute, Yildiz once again set the Allianz Stadium alight with a sensational slalom run: he accelerated, skipped past several opponents and burst into the penalty area, but his shot was deflected wide at the last moment. Eight minutes later, Locatelli delivered a precise free kick for Gatti's header, but it went just over the bar.
The second goal came in the 70th minute and was a deserved reward for Juventus' pressure: Pierre Kalulu's shot-cross crossed the box, and Gatti pounced again at the far post to make it 2-0 with great determination. Juventus continued to push forward. In the 77th minute, Thuram slipped into the box, taking advantage of a favourable bounce, and tried a lob, but the ball went over the bar. Two minutes later, Yildiz met Jeremie Boga's cross with a diving header and hit the post, just missing out on a third goal. In the 82nd minute, Juventus scored their third goal, as Koopmeiners cleverly flicked the ball on to Weston McKennie, who, from two yards out, slotted home to make it 3-0, a goal that brought the tie back to level terms on aggregate.. After ninety minutes of high intensity and entertainment, the match went into extra time.
The first half of extra time began with a huge chance for Edon Zhegrova, who, after receiving a pass from McKennie, who in turn had been set up by Boga, had the opportunity to make it 4-0 with his left, but he failed to find the post to Cakir's right. Just as the first quarter of an hour seemed to be coming to an end, Galatasaray scored through Victor Osimhen. Zhegrova came close to scoring again at the start of the second half of extra time, but his left-footed shot was saved by Cakir and fell to Filip Kostic, who volleyed over the bar. With one minute to go, Galatasaray scored again, this time through Baris Yilmaz. That was the end of a great performance by Juventus, but it was not enough to keep them in Europe.
