Juventus failed to advance to the Champions League round of 16 after losing to Galatasaray SK following extra-time battle. They aimed for a dramatic comeback at home but could not get past the final hurdle.
Juventus beat Galatasaray 3-2 in the second leg of the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League round of 16 playoff at Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, on the 26th (Korea time).
They won, but could not overcome the repercussions of the 2-5 loss in the first leg, and were eliminated on a 7-5 aggregate score.
The start was good. In the 37th minute of the first half, Manuel Locatelli converted a penalty kick to ignite the chase.
Even though Lloyd Kelly was sent off immediately after the start of the second half leaving them a man down, Juventus did not waver. Federico Gatti narrowed the gap in the 25th minute of the second half, and Weston McKennie's header in the 37th minute of the second half made the aggregate score 5-5, taking the match into extra time.
Fitness dropped sharply in extra time. The effects of pushing hard while a man down became apparent, and they conceded to Victor Osimhen right before the end of the first half of extra time, falling behind again.
Then, in the dying moments of the second half of extra time, they conceded a decisive goal to Baris Alper Yilmaz and ultimately collapsed.
That day Juventus recorded 28 shots and an expected goals (xG) of 5.06, pressing aggressively, but their lack of finishing held them back.
Despite the fighting spirit shown while playing with 10 men, they fell one step short of overturning a two-goal deficit. In the end, they stopped their European campaign to the applause of the home fans.
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