Old habits die hard. Just ask Juventus.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Before Tuesday, it had been just over 12 years since Juventus last traveled to Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex. They needed a stalemate in order to progress to the UEFA Champions League knockout round, whereas Galatasaray needed a win. Gala ended up winning 1-0 via Wesley Sneijder\u2019s late goal and confirming their spot in the Round of 16 \u2014 the last time they have reached that stage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Juve bounced back from the disappointment in the Istanbul snow in stellar fashion by reaching two of the next three Champions League finals, before losing to eventual champions Real Madrid in the quarterfinals courtesy of a first-leg brace and a last-second winner in the second leg via Cristiano Ronaldo. But despite signing Ronaldo in the summer of 2018 for a Serie A record \u20ac100 million, Juventus failed to take a step forward. In fact, they took a few steps backwards.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
After losing to Ajax in the quarterfinals, Juve would proceed to lose to Lyon, Porto and Villarreal in the Round of 16, before a nightmare 2022-23 season that saw them exit the group stage and finish seventh in the table and miss out on Europe entirely after being deducted 10 points for capital gains violations. And after returning to the Champions League in 2024-25 and finishing 20th in the league phase, Juventus would miss out on the Round of 16 after relinquishing a first-leg advantage and losing to PSV Eindhoven.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
All\u2019s this to say: Juventus are not the same team of a decade ago, the one that ruled Italian football with an iron fist and that was situated amongst the best teams in the continent. They are no longer a genuine threat to winning their first Champions League in three decades. And if they could lose to teams like Ajax, Lyon, Porto, Villarreal and PSV, why couldn\u2019t they lose to Galatasaray?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Still, you couldn\u2019t help but think that this might have been different. Juve had made considerable strides in their first few months under Luciano Spalletti, looking far more measured and composed in possession and displaying a consistent identity in their play. Surely, this wasn\u2019t just a simple new manager \u2014 surely, it was the start of something new?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Even after a beleaguered start to the new year that had seen them draw to Monaco and Lecce and lose at Cagliari, even after a dreadful run of form that had seen them lose at Inter, draw to Lazio, and get knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Atalanta, you couldn\u2019t help but think Juve were due a big performance. Instead, what they got was a bucket of cold water and a desperately needed wake-up call.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Gala looked the far more energized side from the offset, with Yunus Akg\u00fcn working a quick one-two with Gabriel Sara and taking aim from just outside the box, only to blaze his shot wide. Then, Victor Osimhen capitalized on a loose touch from Kenan Y\u0131ld\u0131z and won the ball back at the edge of the box, eventually working it towards Sara, who was there to slot home a well-drilled finish into the bottom left corner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It took less than a minute for Juve to react, with Andrea Cambiaso racing forward and weighing up a cross for Pierre Kalulu to latch onto. U\u011furcan \u00c7ak\u0131r was able to parry the header away, deflecting it into the path of Teun Koopmeiners who made no mistake from close range. 16 minutes later, Koopmeiners turned the tide in Juve\u2019s favor after dragging Davinson S\u00e1nchez out of possession and teeing up a one-two with Weston McKennie before letting loose with a rocket.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But whilst Juve were ahead on the score sheet, they never looked remotely comfortable with their advantage. The warning signs were always there, like when they congested four bodies around the ball carrier (Sara) and the nearest passing option (Noa Lang), but left an avenue open for Sara to find Akg\u00fcn between the lines. When he should have been marking his compatriot, Y\u0131ld\u0131z was merely waiting to see the events unfold and hoping and praying as Akg\u00fcn forced a low save from Michele Di Gregorio.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Whether it was defending open-play situations or set-pieces, Juve\u2019s lack of competitive instincts continued to bite them in the back: with every failed ground duel or unconvincing defense of a corner kick, Gala grew more and more confident that they had what it took to not only equalize, but win.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n They eventually got their wish just after the restart, with both Juan Cabal and Manuel Locatelli misjudging a high ball and losing an aerial duel to a man considerably shorter than both of them \u2014 Lucas Torreira. The ball landed to Bar\u0131\u015f Alper Y\u0131lmaz, who unleashed a ferocious shot that Di Gregorio could merely muster a light fingertip save, enabling Lang to coolly slot home into an empty net.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Whilst McKennie did somewhat well in his false 9 role, the same cannot be said about Juve\u2019s other two attackers \u2014 Y\u0131ld\u0131z and Francisco Concei\u00e7\u00e3o. Both players proved to be inefficient and ineffective: the former getting bullied in physical duels and failing to provide a reference point in attack, the latter constantly overthinking and failing to generate power and accuracy with his shots.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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