Lloyd Kelly at Heart of Controversial VAR Review That Ended Juventus Comeback Hopes
lloyd kelly was at the centre of a contentious refereeing sequence in the Champions League play-off second-leg between Juventus and Galatasaray that saw an initial second yellow upgraded to a straight red after a pitchside VAR review, a turning point in a tie that ultimately finished 7-5 on aggregate to the Turkish side.
Lloyd Kelly: how the VAR pitchside review escalated the dismissal
Referee Joao Pinheiro originally showed Lloyd Kelly a second yellow card for a foul on Baris Yilmaz and made the familiar gesture signalling a pitchside review before heading to the monitor. Cheers inside the home Allianz Stadium suggested Juventus supporters believed the second booking might be overturned. The review did overturn the initial decision, but rather than cancel the dismissal the referee upgraded it to a straight red, ruling that Kelly had committed a serious foul after landing on the back of Yilmaz's Achilles following an aerial challenge. The decision came in the 49th minute; the 27-year-old Kelly reacted furiously and booted a wall in the tunnel as he left the pitch, while manager Luciano Spalletti wore a perplexed look on the sideline.
The incident and how it shaped the match
Juventus were 1-0 ahead at the time and were attempting to overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit from Istanbul. Down to 10 men, the home side rallied, with Manuel Locatelli converting a penalty to kick-start the comeback and Federico Gatti and Weston McKennie scoring to level the tie at 5-5 and force extra time. McKennie’s goal drew the tie level over the two legs, and Juventus pushed almost the entire second half with 10 players before extra time proved decisive.
Extra time finish and wider Champions League implications
In extra time Victor Osimhen gave Galatasaray the advantage again, his goal making it 3-1 on the night and 6-5 on aggregate, and Baris Yilmaz sealed the tie deep into extra time with a 119th-minute strike to complete a 7-5 aggregate win. The result booked Galatasaray’s place in the Champions League Round of 16 and leaves other teams awaiting the draw. The fixture list context included Atletico Madrid beating Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate with a 4-1 second-leg win, setting up the possibility that the Round of 16 draw on Friday in Switzerland at 11am UK will pair Tottenham and Liverpool against either Galatasaray or Atletico Madrid.
VAR remit, the review process and an Ifab vote looming
Current Champions League VAR practice checks only for clear and obvious errors relating to goals, incidents in the penalty area, direct red cards and cases of mistaken identity; it does not, at present, intervene on yellow cards. That limitation means that downgrading a dismissal for a second bookable offence was not the original intention of the VAR remit. However, those principles apply only at the point VAR decides whether to send the referee to the monitor: once the match official begins an on-field review they are in charge and may take any decision they deem appropriate. Football’s lawmaking body is expected to consider approving VAR reviews for wrongly awarded second yellow cards at its annual general meeting on Saturday, but that vote is pending.
Reactions, emotion and the domestic picture
The decision drew sharp reactions from former players and commentators, who described the outcome as disgraceful and awful and questioned the practicalities of aerial challenges where a player’s feet must land somewhere. Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli said the exit left the team nearly in tears and that the squad had given its heart and more. Defender Federico Gatti said the qualification had been thrown away in the first leg and that the players reached extra time drained despite putting the game back on track. Juventus fans applauded the team after the match despite the elimination. The loss also narrows Italy’s presence in the next stage, leaving just one Italian team in the Champions League Round of 16 after Atalanta overturned a deficit to eliminate Borussia Dortmund. Domestically, Luciano Spalletti’s side sit fifth in Serie A and are four points behind AS Roma for the final Champions League qualification place for next season.
