McKennie’s Spark Ignites Juventus as Galatasaray’s Late Rally Comes Up Short

Italian football looked in a bad place ahead of the second legs of the UEFA Champions League knockout playoffs.

Inter Milan, Atalanta and Juventus were all staring at an exit from the competition, each side trailing by at least two goals from the first leg. To make matters worse, champions Napoli had already been eliminated.

When Inter failed to turn things around against minnows Bodo/Glimt, it began to look likely that Serie A would have no representation in the latter stages of the tournament, which would have represented a damning indictment of the state of the nation’s top sides.

But things changed on Wednesday. First, Atalanta’s spectacular 4-1 second-leg win over Borussia Dortmund sent them through to Friday’s draw.

Then, Weston McKennie led Juventus to the brink of a miracle and underlined both his team’s renewed spirit and his own outstanding form this season.

Weston McKennie scores dramatic equaliser for Juventus vs. Galatasaray

McKennie headed in for Juve in the 82nd minute of the game in Turin, putting the home side 3-0 up on the night and levelling the aggregate score at 5-5.

Remarkably, the goal came after Luciano Spalletti’s team had been playing for more than half an hour with 10 men.

Manuel Locatelli’s penalty late in the first half had given Juve hope, but when Lloyd Kelly was sent off three minutes after halftime — a little unfortunately, it has to be said, as he seemed to inadvertently land on the heel of Baris Yilmaz after jumping for a header — it looked as though the comeback was over.

However, Federico Gatti tapped home from close range with 20 minutes remaining, and Galatasaray suddenly looked bereft of belief and ideas as Juve seized the initiative.

It was therefore fully deserved when McKennie rose highest to nod the ball over the line at the far post and send the tie into extra time.

Watch in USA:

WESTON MCKENNIE DOES IT AGAIN! 🇺🇸

Juventus overturn a three-goal deficit to complete the comeback in Turin 🤯 pic.twitter.com/PnVKw0C1FZ

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 25, 2026

Juventus fall short in Galatasaray comeback

McKennie had the chance for a clear shot at goal early in the first half of extra time, but he instead chose to pass to Edon Zhegrova, who put his finish wide.

It proved costly, as Galatasaray made it 6-5 on aggregate through Victor Osimhen’s composed finish, and that goal effectively killed any lingering hope of Juve going through.

In the final seconds, Yilmaz slotted home a second for Gala on the night to make it 7-5 across the two legs.

Although crestfallen at seeing their team fall just short, Juve fans stood and applauded even before the final whistle, acknowledging the effort of their players in trying circumstances.

Indeed, had Juve shown similar levels of commitment in the first leg, their chances of going through may have been much stronger.

Weston McKennie stats 2025/26

This has been McKennie’s standout season for Juve in his six-year spell with the Serie A giants.

Often deployed in a variety of roles due to his versatility, it is McKennie’s attacking output that has been most valuable in 2025/26. Against Galatasaray, he started the game at full-back but was later moved into an attacking free role as Juve sought a comeback, and it was his influence in the final third that got them close to going through.

The USMNT star has eight goals and seven assists in 36 games in all competitions, with five of those goal involvements coming in the Champions League. That level of consistency in attack is even more impressive given his regular change in position in Spalletti’s lineup.

McKennie himself believes his turnaround — he’s gone from a rotation player linked with a transfer ever window to the verge of a new contract — is partly down to him heeding a warning from former coach Igor Tudor, now in interim charge of Tottenham.

He said that this past summer was the first that “I didn’t mind taking my shirt off at the pool” after a renewed commitment to improving his physical fitness and losing weight.

“I had a long preseason,” he explained to TNT Sports, as per Goal.com. “My coach back at Juventus, Tudor, really put pressure on me and said, ‘Hey, you’re getting older, and your body’s not gonna be able to bounce back from games the way that you used to be able to, and you need to cut down some weight, and that’s the only way you’re gonna be involved with this team.’

“So, I put my head down and worked like I usually do. Got on a diet. Don’t snack as much anymore. If I do, it’s healthy snacks, and I work out more often. So, that’s what I’ve been doing, a lot of running.”

In the year of a home World Cup, it’s certainly paying off.

Is there a player in CONCACAF having a better year than Weston McKennie? #USMNT

Incredible comeback by Juventus.

pic.twitter.com/jFqJsU6awW

— herculez gomez (@herculezg) February 25, 2026