Juventus Edge Galatasaray in 2nd Leg but eliminated from Champions Leaguenewsline24

-MyKhel Team

Galatasaray reached the Champions League last 16 despite losing 3-2 to Juventus in Turin, edging the play-off 7-5 on aggregate after a tense extra-time battle that saw Luciano Spalletti’s 10-player side drag the tie back from a 5-2 first-leg deficit before finally falling short.

Juventus, roared on by home support, pushed the tie beyond 90 minutes and briefly threatened a famous recovery, yet late goals from Victor Osimhen and Baris Yilmaz in extra-time restored Galatasaray’s cushion and ended Juve’s hopes of staying in this Champions League campaign.

The second leg started with Kenan Yildiz testing Ugurcan Cakir twice, underlining Juventus’ early intent, but Galatasaray still carried a 5-2 lead from the first match, and that advantage grew in importance when Lucas Torreira conceded a penalty for a foul on Khephren Thuram.

From that spot-kick, Manuel Locatelli sent Cakir the wrong way to give Juventus a 1-0 lead on the night, yet the broader task remained huge because Spalletti’s side still trailed by two goals on aggregate and needed sustained pressure to stretch Galatasaray’s defence.

The contest swung further towards Galatasaray when Lloyd Kelly received a second yellow card on 49 minutes, after a straight red was downgraded by VAR, with the dismissal given for an awkward landing on Baris Yilmaz that left Juventus chasing the tie with only 10 players.

Juventus responded bravely as Federico Gatti struck in the 70th minute, turning in at the back post from a deflected cross, and that goal lifted the Allianz Stadium crowd while putting Galatasaray under growing pressure as the aggregate score tightened.

Spalletti’s team then saw Weston McKennie level the tie on aggregate with eight minutes of normal time left, as McKennie rose highest to meet Teun Koopmeiners’ delivery with a powerful header, making it 3-2 on aggregate in the leg and 5-5 overall.

In extra-time, Juventus wasted a major opening when McKennie squared to Edon Zhegrova, who curled wide despite Cakir diving early, and that miss became decisive when Osimhen finished calmly through Mattia Perin’s legs near the end of the first additional period.

Baris Yilmaz finally settled the play-off in the 119th minute, striking Galatasaray’s second goal of extra-time to close out a 7-5 aggregate success, while Juventus players, visibly exhausted, still received applause from home supporters who recognised the effort with 10 players.

Juventus Galatasaray Champions League numbers and historical context

Match data underlined Juventus’ wastefulness against Galatasaray, as the Serie A side produced 5.06 expected goals from 28 attempts compared with Galatasaray’s 2.01 xG from 16 shots, meaning Spalletti’s players created enough opportunities to overturn the tie but lacked decisive finishing.

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Yildiz delivered standout attacking numbers for Juventus in Turin, recording a team-high six shots and five touches in the opposition box, while also sharing second place for chances created with three and topping the dribbles chart with three successful take-ons.

This tie also continued a difficult pattern for Juventus in Champions League knockout stages, as the club had a player dismissed in both legs of a knockout tie for the third time, repeating incidents from the 2017-18 quarter-finals against Real Madrid and the 2005-06 quarter-finals against Arsenal.

The night ended with Galatasaray advancing, Juventus departing the Champions League after a heavy physical effort, and statisticians pointing to missed chances, a costly red card and historical red-card trends that again shaped a major European tie for the Italian side.