By: Osabuohien Imuetinyanosa
Galatasaray booked their place in the Champions League last 16 after surviving a 3-2 defeat to Juventus in Turin, winning 7-5 on aggregate.
Trailing 5-2 from the first leg, Galatasaray battled back heroically. Juventus opened the scoring through Manuel Locatelli’s penalty in the 37th minute, but Lloyd Kelly’s second yellow reduced them to 10 men shortly after the break.
Federico Gatti and Weston McKennie briefly gave Juventus hope, with McKennie’s header in the 82nd minute bringing the tie level on aggregate. Yet in extra time, Victor Osimhen showed quality with the composed finish and Barış Alper Yılmaz’s late strike ensured Galatasaray’s progression still through Osimhen’s assist.
Despite creating 28 shots and generating 5.06 expected goals, Juventus’ missed chances proved costly. Galatasaray’s resilience and clinical finishing saw them advance, completing a dramatic comeback that fell just short of overturning the first-leg deficit.
