Late Twist in the Champions League: Juventus Draws Villarreal After Last-Gasp Equalizer
2 octobre 2025
Late Twist in the Champions League: Juventus Draws Villarreal
Juventus coach Igor Tudor said his side were under heavy pressure and made too many sloppy passes as they were held to a 2-2 draw away to Villarreal in the Champions League group stage on Wednesday night.
The Bianconeri fell behind, managed to take the lead to 2-1, and were then punished by a late header from Renato Viña, on loan for the 2024-25 season, in the 90th minute.
Villarreal opened the scoring in the 18th minute through Mikaotadze after a teammate’s pass; Juventus replied with a stunning 49th-minute strike from defender Federico Gatti, followed by Francisco Conceicao’s superb solo effort in the 56th minute to put Juventus ahead. In the 90th minute, Renato Viña headed home a dramatic equalizer for Villarreal.
Tudor began his postmatch remarks by apologizing to the Juve supporters, saying that while they prepared as well as they could, there was a lot of tension and pressure and a number of basic passing mistakes.
Juventus started the second half with a different approach, looking much sharper after Conceicao came on and helped spearhead the comeback, creating danger and turning the tide in the Italian side’s favor.
Tudor later noted that Conceicao’s introduction made a real difference, and that the team pushed hard even though late mistakes cost them a deserved win.
When asked whether Juventus have a defensive problem, the coach replied that the back three performed well and emphasized the need for more second balls; the defense stood firm for most of the match.
He added that Gatti’s goal was brilliant and that it would be nice to play 90 minutes at the highest level, while acknowledging there are weaknesses to address.
With this draw, Juventus sit on two points from two matches, while Villarreal earned their first point after losing to Tottenham in the opening game. With six group-stage matches left, Juventus must fix things quickly before a challenging run including Real Madrid in Madrid, followed by Sporting, Bodø/Glimt, Benfica, and Monaco.
The campaign began for Juventus with a dramatic 4-4 draw against Borussia Dortmund, where they rallied from a 4-2 deficit late on to snatch a dramatic goal-scoring finale.
Conceiacao emerged as a standout in the second half for Juventus, creating chances and scoring, and Tudor praised the substitute for making a tangible difference despite the late mistakes that crept in.
Asked if Juventus are facing a defensive issue, Tudor insisted the back three performed better than most and stressed the need to win second balls; the defense looked solid for most of the game.
Gatti’s goal was a moment of real quality, and the team will surely rue conceding late, underscoring that there is still work to do as the European campaign progresses.
Punchline 1: If football were a sniper, Juventus would keep missing the bullseye—the target is there, the timing isn’t.
Punchline 2: And as the 90th minute looms, even time seems to pause to watch a goal go in. Talk about a dramatic clock-in!
