Champions League: Galatasaray down Juventus in a thriller; PSG edge Monaco

Galatasaray Deny Stunning Juventus Comeback

Galatasaray struck twice in extra time to end 10-man Juventus' brave fightback and reach the Champions League's last 16, progressing with a 7-5 aggregate victory in their knockout round playoff despite a 3-2 second-leg defeat on Wednesday.

Left with a mountain to climb after a 5-2 loss in Istanbul, Juventus forced the tie into the extra 30 minutes and looked to have the upper hand before Victor Osimhen struck at the end of the first half of extra time and Baris Alper Yilmaz netted late on.

Juve's recent form had instilled little confidence they could fight back, with four defeats in a winless run of five games, but they were applauded at fulltime after a heroic effort.

"I feel like crying. We gave our heart and soul and these games remain in the heart," Juve captain Manuel Locatelli told Amazon Prime.

"In the first leg an episode complicated today, heartfelt thanks to everyone, to the stadium which was incredible."

Locatelli opened the scoring for the home side from the penalty spot eight minutes before the break. Juventus had Lloyd Kelly sent off three minutes after the interval before Federico Gatti scored with 20 minutes left.

Galatasaray were unable to capitalise on their numerical advantage and Weston McKennie headed in eight minutes from the end, but it is the Turkish side who will meet either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the round of 16 with the draw on Friday.

Juventus created plenty of chances in the opening half, with Gatti heading over from close range, while Locatelli had a shot parried away by Galatasaray keeper Ugurcan Cakir. Cakir also did well to turn Kenan Yildiz's deflected shot around the post.

The hosts were handed a lifeline when Lucas Torreira fouled Khephren Thuram in the area and Locatelli's penalty looked set to inspire the comeback.

Yet those hopes were hampered with Kelly's red card and just as in the first leg, Juventus would end the game with 10 men.

Yildiz had another shot deflected wide and Gatti again headed over the bar but the home side's efforts were rewarded when Gatti tapped in at the back post from Pierre Kalulu's cross.

Thuram's attempted chip of the keeper went over and Yildiz hit the post as Juventus looked more like the side with the extra man and McKennie levelled the tie on aggregate with a close-range header.

Edon Zhegrova wasted a gilt-edged chance for Juventus early in extra time, blasting wide from close range when completely unmarked before Osimhen silenced the home fans.

The striker collected a pass from Yilmaz out wide in the area and sent his shot through the legs of keeper Mattia Perin.

Cakir pulled off a reflex save to deny Zhegrova and Juventus were hit on the counter as Yilmaz finished off a side which had understandably run out of steam.

"There was an impressive reaction, the fans also supported us a lot, in extra time we arrived tired," Gatti said.

"We had put the game back on its feet with 10 men, but in the first leg we threw it away."

PSG Survive Late Monaco Surge To Advance

Holders Paris St Germain edged into the Champions League's last 16 after a 2-2 home draw with 10-man Monaco in the second leg of their knockout-round playoff on Wednesday, advancing 5-4 on aggregate from a tense tie that went right to the wire.

Monaco took the lead on the stroke of halftime through Maghnes Akliouche, but after Mamadou Coulibaly was sent off, PSG took immediate advantage to equalise through Marquinhos in the 60th minute and then went ahead six minutes later through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

But Monaco set up a furious finish when substitute Jordan Teze scored from Simon Adingra's cross to make it 2-2 in stoppage time and Wout Faes missed a last-gasp chance to force the game into extra time as a glancing header went wide.

PSG will next month meet either Barcelona or Chelsea in the last 16.

It was another testing game for the Parisians against familiar Ligue 1 opposition, and Monaco might have taken a surprise lead inside the opening 10 minutes when Akliouche, back from a hip injury, set up Coulibaly, who missed from close range. 

Four minutes before halftime, Bradley Barcola hit an angled effort onto the Monaco crossbar, which was PSG's first real chance, but in stoppage time before the break, Akliouche scored with a shot that went in off the upright.

Caio Henrique showed some skill to get past Warren Zaire-Emery and crossed inside, where Coulibaly played a clever short pass to Akliouche to hand Monaco the halftime lead.

Monaco, who are 20 points behind PSG in the French league standings, went down to 10 men in the 58th minute when Coulibaly caught Hakimi late and was issued a second caution, four minutes after his first.

The resultant free kick saw Vitinha go to the byline and hit the ball across the face of goal with captain Marquinhos getting ahead of defender Faes to touch in from less than a metre out.

Monaco manager Sebastien Pocognoli said Coulibaly's sending off was the turning point and questioned why PSG's Lucas Hernandez was not booked for similar offences.

"For me, it wasn't deserved," Pocognoli told reporters.

"I think it was harsh, especially since both cards were given within five minutes. If the referee gave it, he could have given it to Hernandez as well. Coulibaly is a young player, Hernandez won the World Cup, and yet he's the one being told to calm down.

"There are double standards. This has happened far too often in Monaco. There's also a bit of anger involved."

A set piece led to the home side’s second goal in the 66th minute with fullback Achraf Hakimi firing in a shot from 20 metres out that Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Kohn parried into the path of Kvaratskhelia. 

Monaco almost fashioned a comeback out of nothing as Teze’s equaliser a minute into stoppage time suddenly raised the tension. Two minutes later a free kick came tantalisingly close to being turned into the PSG goal, but Faes did not get enough on his header to find the back of the net.

"At the end, when they scored, we felt stressed and it was scary," said PSG's Desire Doue, who scored twice in the first leg. 

"The objective is to dominate the whole match, but you also have to know how to come back from behind. Next time, we'll try not to concede a goal, that's important."

PSG supporters chanted Hakimi’s name and unfurled a banner during the match with the words “Achraf Total Support”.

The Morocco captain confirmed on social media on Tuesday he is facing trial for rape. The Nanterre prosecutor’s office opened an investigation in 2023 after an allegation was made against the 27-year-old. He denies the allegation.

Last-gasp Penalty Sends Atalanta Past Dortmund

Lazar Samardzic smashed home a stoppage-time penalty to complete a dramatic 4-1 victory for Atalanta over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, sending the Italian side into the Champions League's last 16 with a comeback 4-3 aggregate triumph.

Dortmund's Ramy Bensebaini was sent off after his studs caught the head of Atalanta's Nikola Krstovic in the penalty area and Samardzic converted the spot kick in the 98th minute to send the Italians through. Atalanta will now face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the round of 16 with the draw on Friday.

"Everyone had written us off, but this match showed once again how strong this group is," said Atalanta scorer and man-of-the-match Davide Zappacosta. "We always believe and we never give up."

"Being the underdog gives you extra motivation. You try to go beyond your limits to turn things around, and we knew we could do it. It was very difficult, but we’ve shown many times how strong we are at home," he said.

The defeat ended Dortmund's European dreams, but Niko Kovac's team, second in the Bundesliga, will need to bounce back quickly ahead of Saturday's league match against leaders Bayern Munich, their last chance to challenge for any silverware this season.

"When you concede four goals in the playoffs, it becomes difficult to advance," said Dortmund captain Emre Can. "With so many individual errors, it's hard to advance. We also had several clear-cut chances that we didn't convert."

The hosts had to fight back following last week's 2-0 loss in Germany, and Gianluca Scamacca tapped in at the far post to give them a fifth-minute lead as they got off to a dream start.

Dortmund had their share of chances but it was their keeper, Gregor Kobel, who was busiest in the first half, twice denying Nicola Zalewski. He was beaten, however, on the stroke of halftime when Zappacosta's shot was deflected into the net off Bensebaini to make it 2-0.

Atalanta keeper Marco Carnesecchi made the save of the match when he tipped Serhou Guirassy's low drive wide in the 49th minute, to protect their two-goal advantage. Dortmund went even closer in the 53rd with Maximilian Beier's shot bouncing off the post.

Instead it was the hosts who scored again thanks to Mario Pasalic's header at the far post to go 3-0 up and take control of the tie.

Dortmund, however, bounced back with substitute Karim Adeyemi adding instant pace to their game and curling his 75th-minute shot into the top corner as the visitors hoped to take the contest into extra time.

Yet Bensebaini then tried to clear a cross in the box with a backheel but caught the head of Krstovic, who went down bleeding. The hosts were awarded a penalty following a lengthy VAR review and Samardzic smashed his spot kick into the top corner to send his team through with the last kick of the game.