Lloyd Kelly red card upgraded on VAR review as Galatasaray prevail 7-5 on aggregate
The sight of a pitchside Video Assistant Referee review ended with lloyd kelly sent off, a decision that reshaped Juventus’s dramatic Champions League play-off defeat to Galatasaray and left the Serie A side eliminated 7-5 on aggregate. The 49th-minute reversal — from a second yellow to a straight red after a monitor check — reduced Juve to 10 men at Allianz Stadium and became the hinge of an extraordinary tie.
Lloyd Kelly sent off after Joao Pinheiro review
Referee Joao Pinheiro initially showed Kelly a second yellow for a challenge on Baris Yilmaz, then drew the familiar rectangle in the air and walked to the pitchside monitor. The 27-year-old, a former Bournemouth and Newcastle defender, was furious when the decision was not simply overturned but upgraded to a straight red; he booted a wall in the tunnel on his exit while manager Luciano Spalletti wore a perplexed expression on the sidelines. Match officials judged that Kelly landed on the back of Yilmaz’s Achilles after an aerial challenge, deeming it a serious foul that warranted a direct dismissal.
Allianz Stadium fightback forces extra time
Juventus had been 1-0 up in the second leg as they sought to overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit from Istanbul. Despite playing nearly the entire second half with 10 men after the 49th-minute dismissal, the home side rallied to lead 3-0 on the night and level the tie at 5-5 on aggregate. Manuel Locatelli converted a penalty to spark the comeback, Federico Gatti scored on 72 minutes, and Weston McKennie struck on 82 minutes to draw the two legs level and push the match into extra time.
Victor Osimhen and Baris Yilmaz decide in extra time
With Juventus increasingly drained, Galatasaray regained control in extra time. Victor Osimhen put the visitors ahead in the first period of extra time to make it 3-1 on the night and 6-5 on aggregate, and Baris Yilmaz sealed the tie with a 119th-minute goal to complete a 7-5 aggregate victory. The outcome ended Juve’s hopes of progressing from the play-off and confirmed Galatasaray’s place in the Champions League Round of 16.
Implications for the Round of 16 draw in Switzerland
The result means the draw in Switzerland on Friday at 11: 00 UK time will place either the Turkish Super Lig champions or Atletico Madrid into the Round of 16. Atletico had beaten Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate after a 4-1 second-leg win the previous night. The draw will determine opponents for Liverpool and Tottenham, both set to face either Atletico or Galatasaray in March.
Rules, reaction and wider consequences
Under current Champions League VAR protocols, the system checks only for clear and obvious errors relating to goals, incidents in the penalty area, direct red cards and cases of mistaken identity, and it does not intervene for yellow-card decisions. That framework matters because, once the referee chose to review the incident on the monitor, the on-field official was empowered to make any decision deemed appropriate — which led to Kelly’s upgrade from two yellows to a straight red. The International Football Association Board (Ifab) is expected to consider approving VAR reviews for wrongly awarded second yellow cards at its annual general meeting on Saturday.
Former Premier League defender Curtis Davies described the outcome as an "absolute disgrace, " saying Kelly had gone for the header cleanly and landed on the player, while football journalist Rory Smith called the decision "awful". Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli said the exit left the team "on the verge of tears, " adding that the players had given their hearts. Federico Gatti reflected that qualification had been thrown away in the first leg, and fans nonetheless applauded the team after the match despite elimination.
Domestic context for Juventus and Italian representation
The defeat also has immediate domestic resonance. Juventus sit fifth in Serie A and are four points behind AS Roma for the final Champions League qualification spot for next season. With Atalanta having overturned Borussia Dortmund in their own comeback, only one Italian team now remains in the Champions League for the last-16 stage. What makes this notable is how a single VAR-driven decision in the 49th minute altered both a match’s momentum and the continent-wide shape of the competition.
