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Galatasaray hold off Juventus in epic extra-time thriller

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Victor Osimhen and Baris Yilmaz scored in extra time as Galatasaray held off a stirring fightback from 10-man Juventus to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

The Italians had threatened to become only the fourth club to progress after losing the first leg of a knockout tie in the competition by three or more goals when Weston McKennie headed in with eight minutes left to level the tie at 5-5 on aggregate.

Trailing 5-2 from the first encounter in Istanbul, Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli started the recovery, stroking in a first-half penalty after Lucas Torreira had fouled Khephren Thuram.

And after having Juan Cabal sent off in the first leg, another dismissal followed for the Italian side in the 49th minute.

This time it was for English centre-back Lloyd Kelly, who had a second yellow card upgraded to a straight red in controversial circumstances after he caught Yilmaz on the back of the Achilles when landing following an aerial clash.

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The decision was made after a video assistant referee (VAR) check and looked to have derailed the home side’s chances, but amazingly they responded superbly despite being down to 10 men.

Federico Gatti tapped in Pierre Kalulu’s 70th-minute cross to provide renewed hope and the Allianz Stadium erupted in joy when American midfielder McKennie restored parity from close range.

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However, after Edon Zhegrova shot wastefully wide, the hosts tired in extra time and Osimhen fired in a low effort after being picked out by Yilmaz to put the visitors back ahead in an enthralling tie.

And with just a minute left, Yilmaz put the contest beyond doubt following another break and composed finish past home goalkeeper Mattia Perin.

A relieved Galatasaray will now face either Liverpool or Tottenham on their first last-16 appearance in Europe’s elite club competition since 2013-14.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.


Source: www.myjoyonline.com
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