TURIN, Italy — Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli was filled with emotion after his team narrowly missed out on a comeback in the Champions League against Galatasaray on Wednesday evening.
After falling behind 5-2 in the first leg, Juventus staged an impressive revival, going 3-0 up in the return fixture—even while playing nearly the entire second half with 10 men due to Lloyd Kelly’s red card—forcing the match into extra time.
United States midfielder Weston McKennie leveled the aggregate score, but Galatasaray managed to find the net twice in extra time, resulting in a 3-2 defeat for Juventus on the night and a 7-5 loss on aggregate.
Despite the loss, Juventus supporters showed their appreciation for the team’s effort after the match.
“It almost brings me to tears to think about how much we believed,” Locatelli reflected. “I believe we left everything on the pitch—and then some.”
“This kind of match stays with you,” he added.
Defender Federico Gatti, who netted the second goal for Juventus, expressed frustration at the opportunity lost in the first leg.
“It’s disappointing because we were drained by the time we reached extra time,” he said. “We had worked hard to get back into it, but again, we let it slip in the first match. A tie like this cannot end like that.”
The defeat leaves just one Italian club in the Champions League’s round of 16, as Atalanta pulled off a stunning comeback to knock out Borussia Dortmund.
Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus side is also facing challenges domestically, currently positioned fifth in Serie A, trailing AS Roma by four points for the final Champions League spot for next season.
This report includes information from The Associated Press.