Lloyd Kelly: Why the second yellow was upgraded to an 'awful' straight red
lloyd kelly was shown a second yellow and then, after a pitchside VAR review, given a straight red in the 49th minute of Juventus' Champions League play-off second leg with Galatasaray — a turning point that left the defender furious and helped define a dramatic tie. The sequence of the decision, the review by referee Joao Pinheiro and the post-match reactions have reopened debate over how VAR is used in the competition.
Lloyd Kelly, Joao Pinheiro and the pitchside monitor
Referee Joao Pinheiro had just booked Kelly for a foul on Baris Yilmaz when he drew the familiar invisible box in the air and trotted to the sidelines for a pitchside review. The cheers inside the Allianz Stadium suggested some Juventus supporters thought the second yellow would be overturned; the decision was reviewed but, instead of the card being rescinded, Pinheiro upgraded the punishment to a straight red.
The 27-year-old former Bournemouth and Newcastle defender was furious at the 49th-minute call, booting a wall in the tunnel as he left the pitch, while Juve manager Luciano Spalletti wore a perplexed look on the sidelines. The straight red was shown after the referee deemed Kelly had committed a serious foul, landing on the back of Yilmaz's Achilles following an aerial challenge.
How Juventus fought back after going down to 10 men
Juventus were 1-0 in front at the time of Kelly's sending-off as they tried to overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit to their Turkish opponents. Despite being reduced to 10 men early in the second half, the Serie A side rallied to lead 3-0 on the night and level the tie at 5-5 to force extra time.
Manuel Locatelli converted a penalty to kick-start the comeback, Federico Gatti scored on 72 minutes and Weston McKennie struck on 82 minutes — the latter making the aggregate score level. Juve effectively played almost the entire second half with 10 men following the sending-off.
Extra time drama: Osimhen, Yilmaz and a 7-5 aggregate
The match, played at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Wednesday evening, went to extra time after Juventus hauled themselves back from the 5-2 deficit set in Istanbul in the first leg. Victor Osimhen put Galatasaray back in the driving seat with a goal in the first period of extra time, making it 3-1 on the night and 6-5 on aggregate, and Baris Yilmaz secured the two-leg victory with a goal in the 119th minute.
The tie finished 3-2 on the night and 7-5 in favour of Galatasaray on aggregate. The comeback and extra-time finish mean Galatasaray booked a place in the Champions League Round of 16.
Wider consequences for the competition and club draws
The result leaves the draw for the Round of 16 to determine opponents: Tottenham and Liverpool will face either the Turkish Super Lig champions or Atletico Madrid in March, with the draw scheduled to be held in Switzerland on Friday at 11: 00am UK time. Atletico had beaten Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate with a 4-1 second-leg win the previous night.
The match date and kick-off were recorded as Wed 25 February 2026, 23: 00 in match listings.
Voices from the pitch and the punditry on VAR
Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli said the exit left the squad close to tears, reflecting on how much the team believed and adding that "it almost makes me want to cry for how much we believed, " that "I think we gave our heart -- and more, " and that "these are the kinds of matches that stay with you. " Federico Gatti, who scored Juve's second goal, said: "It's frustrating because we reached extra time a bit drained. We had really put the game back on track, but I'll say it again -- we let it slip in the first leg. A tie like this simply can't end that way. " Fans applauded the team after the match despite elimination.
On the punditry side, former Premier League defender Curtis Davies labelled the decision an "absolute disgrace, " arguing that Kelly had gone for the header cleanly and that there needs to be understanding about where a player's feet can land. Football journalist Rory Smith described the decision as "awful" and a "disgrace, " while former Tottenham midfielder Andy Reid warned the game was "moving closer and closer to being a non-contact sport. "
The Champions League's VAR protocol currently restricts checks to clear and obvious errors involving goals, incidents in the penalty area, direct red cards and cases of mistaken identity, and does not intervene on yellow cards — which meant downgrading Kelly's initial dismissal for a second bookable offence was not the VAR's stated intention. However, once the match official begins a pitchside review they are empowered to make whatever decision they deem appropriate. The International Football Association Board is expected to consider allowing VAR reviews of wrongly awarded second yellow cards at its annual general meeting on Saturday.
Domestic implications for Juventus
The loss ensures only one Italian team remains in the Champions League for the Round of 16 after Atalanta pulled off a comeback to eliminate Borussia Dortmund. Luciano Spalletti's Juventus are also under pressure domestically, sitting fifth in Serie A and four points behind AS Roma for the final Champions League qualification place for next season.
