The tie appeared destined for a famous Juventus comeback when American midfielder Weston McKennie headed home with eight minutes remaining, drawing the Italians level at 5-5 on aggregate. Having trailed 5-2 from the first leg in Istanbul, Juve showed resilience from the outset. Captain Manuel Locatelli ignited hopes with a coolly taken first-half penalty after Lucas Torreira fouled Khephren Thuram inside the area.
Juventus’ task became even tougher early in the second half when defender Lloyd Kelly was sent off in the 49th minute. Initially shown a second yellow card, the decision was upgraded to a straight red after a VAR review judged that he had caught Yilmaz on the back of the Achilles while landing from an aerial challenge. Despite being reduced to 10 men — and having already seen Juan Cabal dismissed in the first leg — the hosts refused to surrender.
Federico Gatti gave the home crowd renewed belief when he converted Pierre Kalulu’s inviting cross in the 70th minute. The atmosphere at the Allianz Stadium reached fever pitch when McKennie struck again from close range to complete the comeback and level the aggregate score.
But the energy of the 10-man Juventus side began to fade in extra time. After Edon Zhegrova squandered a promising chance, Galatasaray regained control. Osimhen finished clinically with a low drive after being set up by Yilmaz to restore the visitors’ advantage. Then, with just a minute remaining, Yilmaz sealed the victory with a composed finish past goalkeeper Mattia Perin following a swift counterattack.
Galatasaray advance to the last 16 of Europe’s elite competition for the first time since the 2013–14 season, where they will face either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in what promises to be another thrilling encounter.
