Juventus players were on the verge of tears after a bitter 120-minute ordeal.

Although they triumphed in the second leg through brave determination, Juventus still failed to fix the damage from the first leg loss and exited the Champions League with disappointment.

Juventus’ journey in the UEFA Champions League ended in a heartbreaking manner. The Serie A side won 3-2 against Galatasaray after 120 minutes in the second leg but were eliminated with an aggregate score of 5-7, concluding a thrilling chase that took fans at Allianz Stadium through a rollercoaster of emotions.

Trailing by three goals from the first leg, Juventus had to start the match at a high tempo and with aggressive attacking intent. The home team constantly applied pressure and quickly reignited hope when Manuel Locatelli successfully converted a penalty. The match quickly turned into an exciting back-and-forth battle as both teams created numerous dangerous chances right in the first half.

The turning point came early in the second half when Lloyd Kelly was shown a red card, forcing Juventus to play with one less player for most of the remaining time. However, instead of collapsing, the black-and-white striped team exploded with energy. Federico Gatti scored to narrow the gap before Weston McKennie netted to send the match into extra time amid a frenzied atmosphere.

Speaking about the team’s fighting spirit, emotions became the focus as captain Manuel Locatelli could not hide his choked-up feelings. He shared: “It almost brought me to tears because we believed so much. I think the whole team gave everything from the heart — and even more.” The Italian midfielder emphasized that this match will leave a lasting memory for the entire squad.

Defender Federico Gatti also acknowledged that the ultimate failure stemmed from mistakes in the first leg rather than the performance in Turin. He frankly stated: “It’s frustrating because by the time extra time came, we were somewhat exhausted. We really brought the match back on track, but I must reiterate, we lost it in the first leg.”

During extra time, fatigue caused Juventus to lose their sustained pressure. Galatasaray capitalized on the gaps to score two decisive goals, extinguishing all hopes of a comeback. Despite elimination, Juventus players received applause from fans as recognition and reward for their fighting spirit until the very last moment, even though the ending was not perfect.