Manuel Locatelli confessed he “felt like crying” after Juventus collapsed against Galatasaray in extra time. “We gave everything we had to this match – this is the Juventus we must always be.”
Overturning the 5-2 first-leg defeat in Istanbul was always going to be an enormous task, made even harder when Lloyd Kelly was sent off in the 48th minute with Juve leading 1-0 on the night thanks to a Locatelli penalty.
Despite being down to 10 men, Juventus pushed the tie into extra time with goals from Federico Gatti and Weston McKennie. They even had a golden opportunity to win it through Edon Zhegrova, but the numerical disadvantage eventually told as late strikes from Victor Osimhen and Barış Alper Yılmaz decided the contest.
Locatelli proud of Juventus effort
Galatasaray advanced to the Champions League Round of 16 with a 7-5 aggregate victory, but the crowd at the Allianz Juventus Stadium gave their side a standing ovation for their brave performance with 10 men for more than an hour.
“I honestly feel like crying, because we truly believed,” Locatelli told Amazon Prime Video Italia.
“We poured our heart and soul into this game, even more than that. Something in the first leg made things more difficult, but tonight I want to thank everyone sincerely.
“The atmosphere in the stadium was unbelievable, these are nights you never forget. We drew strength from the fans and used that energy on the pitch.”
Juventus have often been criticised this season for lacking fighting spirit, but that could not be said on this occasion, as they came agonisingly close to producing a remarkable comeback.
“We gave everything. I always ask the players to show that commitment, and tonight we truly did,” Locatelli continued.
“This is the Juventus we want to represent, and the one we must always aim to be. We need to keep performing at this level. We’re moving in the right direction and must not lose that belief.”
Several clear chances went unfinished during the match, and Khéphren Thuram was seen in tears on the touchline after McKennie’s goal levelled the tie on aggregate.
“All we can do is praise the players for their effort tonight. Mistakes can happen,” Locatelli concluded. “Now we have another big game coming up against Roma and we need to focus fully on that.”
