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.
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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 β 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 β 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.
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WESTON MCKENNIE DOES IT AGAIN! πΊπΈ
Juventus overturn a three-goal deficit to complete the comeback in Turin π€― pic.twitter.com/PnVKw0C1FZ
β CBS Sports Golazo β½οΈ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 25, 2026
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 aggregrate through Victor Osimhen's composed finish.