OGUN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Galatasaray narrowly secured a place in the Champions League knockout stages on Wednesday, despite nearly surrendering a three-goal aggregate lead against a 10-man Juventus side.
Two crucial extra-time goals limited the Turkish club to a 3-2 defeat on the night, which was enough to progress 7-5 on aggregate.
Victor Osimhen and Baris Yilmaz scored the extra-time goals which allowed Galatasaray to win a thrilling tie 7-5 on aggregate and set up a clash with either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the next round.
Galatasaray’s previous appearance in the last 16 of Europe’s elite club competition was in 2014 and they were fortunate to make it through on Wednesday, even with Juve having to play most of the night with 10 men.
Juve were leading on the night through Manuel Locatelli’s 37th-minute penalty when Lloyd Kelly was harshly shown a straight red card shortly after half-time for landing from a jump with his studs on Yilmaz’s Achilles heel.
Kelly could hardly believe his eyes when he was initially hsown a second yellow crad.
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But he was livid after a check on the pitchside monitor led referee Joao Pinheiro to revoke that decision only to show him a straight red card for serious foul play.
The English defender was filmed loudly proclaiming the decision “a disgrace” while Juve coach Luciano Spalletti looked on dumbstruck from the sidelines.
That decision looked to have killed Juve’s chances of mounting a comeback but Federico Gatti pulled another goal back with 20 minutes remaining and 12 minutes later, after Kenan Yildiz hit the post from close range, Weston McKennie headed the hosts level in the tie.
Edon Zhegrova had his head in his hands in the sixth minute of extra-time when he slapped well wide a glorious chance to complete the comeback, and Osimhen punished Juve by stroking home his best chance of the game.
Yilmaz ended Juve’s hopes of taking the tie to penalties with a goal which flattered Galatasaray, who splashed the cash last summer, including €75 million to take Osimhen from Juve’s Serie A rivals Napoli.
Gala’s vice-president Abdullah Kavukcu has been bullish in the last few days, saying that the club will sign Inter Milan midfielder and Turkey captain Hakan Calhanoglu.
But their performance on Wednesday was marked more by cynicism than quality, with Gala’s players doing their best to waste time and buy fouls in the style of Italian teams