Yeah, still doesn\u2019t feel great.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Juventus were so close\u2014so close<\/em>\u2014to making some history in the second leg of their Champions League playoff tie against Galatasaray. They fought from 5-2 down on aggregate to even the tie 5-5, playing almost the entire half (and scoring two of their three goals) with 10 men on the field after an incredibly questionable call sent Lloyd Kelly to an early shower.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n They had a few chances to win it\u2014once in regular time, once at the beginning of extra time\u2014but missed the target both times, and by that point, the toll of playing a man down for so long had taken its toll. Rapidly losing energy, the Bianconeri were finally breached late in the first half of extra time, and surrendered another goal at the death, winning the game 3-2 but falling out of the tournament 7-5 on aggregate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It was a heroic performance, but the scatterbrained second half the week before in Istanbul proved decisive. It\u2019s a result that will leave a bitter taste, knowing they had come so close, and that just one or two fewer mistakes in the first leg\u2014or a referee with some sense\u2014could have seen them advance to the round of 16.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n How did Juve\u2019s players fare man for man as they brushed history? Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n MATTIA PERIN – 6.<\/strong> Made some good saves in the first half, but ultimately wasn\u2019t the busiest of men. Did all he could on the two goals, but he was stranded both times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n PIERRE KALULU – 7.5.<\/strong> Fantastic defensively all night long, not letting Noa Lang get much of anything going in his sector of the field. Would have had the assist on Federico Gatti\u2019s goal but for a touch by the keeper.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n FEDERICO GATTI – 7.<\/strong> By the end of the game was one of the only pure defender on the field. Did pretty well keeping Osimhen out of the most dangerous places, forcing most of his six shots to be relatively tame saves. He was a little bit out of position when the Nigerian scored, but looked like he was going on fumes by that point. He was a huge help offensively, narrowly missing a few headers before poaching one at the far post to put the game fully on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n LLOYD KELLY – 5.5.<\/strong> This has nothing to do with the red card, which was entirely unjustified, but he wasn\u2019t having a great match even before that. He only completed 57.1 percent of his passes and wasn\u2019t as good defensively as his partner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n WESTON McKENNIE – 8.5.<\/strong> Obviously, the goal that leveled the tie was huge, but McKennie wsa so much more than just that moment. He played at every level of the field throughout the game, going from emergency left-back\u2014and easily the best of the three left-backs that played for Juve in the tie\u2014to the left wing, to a false nine. He seemed like he was everywhere, and at each spot he was effective. He led the team with four key passes, and he kept Baris Yilmaz, who had absolutely terrorized Andrea Cambiaso and Juan Cabal, almost completely silent until he started moving around the field. If there\u2019s one criticism for him, it\u2019s that he could\u2019ve taken that shot in the 96th minute instead of shuttling it on for Edon Zhegrova. The new contract he\u2019s rumored to be signing is richly deserved.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n TEUN KOOPMEINERS – 6.<\/strong> Great header back across goal to get the assist on McKennie\u2019s strike. Had one other key pass and three tackles, but he wasn\u2019t quite as influential as he\u2019d been last week\u2014although that\u2019s partly because he dropped back a lot to help out defensively once Kelly was sent off. Still, though, this mezz\u2019ala role might finally be where this dude needs to be in Turin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n MANUEL LOCATELLI – 8.<\/strong> Knew that he wasn\u2019t going to be playing against Roma, so he completely emptied the tank. He made seven tackles, three key passes, almost scored a long-distance screamer, and was nails when he stepped to the penalty spot to start the comeback. When he came off he could barely move. As much he\u2019ll be missed on Sunday, he also deserves a rest after this one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n KH\u00c9PHREN THURAM – 6.5.<\/strong> Had a really good game, carrying the ball through Gala\u2019s lines when passing failed. His decision making could still use a little bit of work, especially that chip right before McKennie equalized. But this is the Thuram Juve need for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n FRANCISCO CONCEI\u00c7\u00c3O – 6.<\/strong> Got into dangerous spaces regularly, but still isn\u2019t using those spaces effectively. His end product overall didn\u2019t produce the kind of danger in front of goal that he ought to be. He did come quite close to an opener in the early going, but bent his shot a whisker wide. He\u2019s got oodles of talent, but needs to be refined.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n JONATHAN DAVID – 5.<\/strong> Made only one key pass and didn\u2019t attempt a shot. He simply didn\u2019t have his first touch today, exemplified by the mystifying touch he had in the box at the end of the first half.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n KENAN YILDIZ – 7.<\/strong> Made three key passes and hit the target with two shots out of six. He was unlucky not to get the third goal a little early when he diverted a cross from Boga just off the post. He was totally shot when he finally came off.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n J\u00c9R\u00c9MIE BOGA – 6.<\/strong> Put in some good balls, and freed up Yildiz to move around a little more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n EDON ZHEGROVA – 5.5.<\/strong> That miss will live long in our memories for quite a while. A horrible mishit that marks the nadir of an awful season. It\u2019s hard to look past it and see much of the positives, but he did pick up two key passes and almost made up for the miss when he hit a vicious shot from a tight angle that Ugurcan \u00c7akir managed to divert away with one hand. Still, when you think of what might\u2019ve been in this game, you\u2019re going to think of him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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