Lloyd Kelly sent off after VAR pitchside review as Juventus' fightback falls short
lloyd kelly was shown a straight red following a pitchside VAR review in the Champions League play-off second leg between Juventus and Galatasaray, a decision that left Juve down to 10 men yet still fighting back to force extra time before ultimately losing 7-5 on aggregate.
Lloyd Kelly shown straight red after VAR pitchside check
Referee Joao Pinheiro initially produced a second yellow to Lloyd Kelly for a foul on Baris Yilmaz and drew the now-familiar invisible box in the air before walking to the pitchside monitor for a review in the 49th minute. The decision was overturned at the monitor, but the second yellow was not simply rescinded: Pinheiro upgraded the punishment to a straight red for what was judged to be a serious foul, after Kelly landed on the back of Yilmaz's Achilles following an aerial challenge. The sight of cheers from some Juventus supporters inside the Allianz Stadium greeted the initial VAR signal; Kelly, 27 and a former Bournemouth and Newcastle defender, left the field furious and booted a wall in the tunnel on his exit, while manager Luciano Spalletti watched on with a perplexed look.
How the tie swung and Juventus' late fightback
Juventus went into the second leg needing to overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit. They were 1-0 ahead early in the second match when the red card arrived four minutes into the second half. Playing with 10 men, Juve still rallied: Manuel Locatelli converted a penalty to kick-start the comeback, Federico Gatti scored on 72 minutes and Weston McKennie struck on 82 minutes to level the tie at 5-5 and take the game into extra time. In the first period of extra time Victor Osimhen put Galatasaray back ahead on aggregate to make it 6-5 overall, and Baris Yilmaz sealed Galatasaray's progress with a 119th-minute goal, leaving the aggregate score 7-5 in favour of the Turkish side.
Voices on the decision: 'absolute disgrace' and 'awful'
Reaction to the red card was fierce. Former Premier League defender Curtis Davies labelled the decision an "absolute disgrace, " saying Kelly "goes up for a header, he's gone for the header cleanly" and questioning where a player is meant to place his feet. Football journalist Rory Smith called the decision "awful" and a "disgrace, " while former Tottenham midfielder Andy Reid warned the game is "moving closer and closer to being a non-contact sport. "
VAR rules, IFAB review and what the monitor review meant
In Champions League matches VAR checks are limited to clear and obvious errors relating to goals, incidents in the penalty area, direct red cards and mistaken identity; at present VAR does not intervene on yellow cards, so downgrading an initial dismissal for a second bookable offence is not normally the system's stated purpose. Context in the match made clear that once the referee begins the on-field review, the match official is in charge and may take whatever decision they deem appropriate. The International Football Association Board is expected to consider allowing VAR reviews for wrongly awarded second yellow cards at its annual general meeting on Saturday.
Aftermath for Juventus and the wider Champions League picture
Juventus players and fans applauded their team's effort after the match despite elimination. Captain Manuel Locatelli said the exit left the squad on the verge of tears and that the players had given their hearts; defender Federico Gatti said qualification was thrown away in the first leg and the team reached extra time a bit drained. The defeat means only one Italian side remains in the Champions League last 16 after Atalanta overturned Borussia Dortmund in their play-off, and Juventus sit fifth in Serie A, four points behind AS Roma for the last Champions League place for next season.
Additional match notes: Atletico Madrid beat Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate with a 4-1 second-leg win, and a Tottenham Hotspur bulletin dated Wed 25 February 2026, 23: 00 noted Spurs will face either Galatasaray, the Turkish Super Lig champions, or Atletico in the Round of 16; the draw is scheduled in Switzerland on Friday at 11am UK. Information from The was used in this report.
The next confirmed events are Friday's Champions League Round of 16 draw in Switzerland at 11am UK, and the International Football Association Board's annual general meeting on Saturday, where VAR review rules for second yellow cards are expected to be considered.
