Juventus produced a dramatic late comeback to defeat Celta Vigo 2-1 away from home in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, with Randal Kolo Muani scoring the decisive goal in stoppage time.
The Italian giants fell behind in the first half but fought back through Nick Woltemade before Kolo Muani completed the turnaround to maintain their perfect start to the competition.
Juventus entered the encounter in high spirits following their emphatic 5-0 victory over NEC in their Europa League opener.
However, their domestic form had been less convincing after a 1-1 draw against Cagliari in Serie A.
The visitors also faced several injury concerns, with Kenan Yildiz, Jeremie Boga, Khephren Thuram, Manuel Locatelli and Arkadiusz Milik among those unavailable.
Celta Vigo, meanwhile, were looking to recover from their opening defeat to Omonia Nicosia.
The hosts made a promising start and took the lead in the 18th minute through Hugo Alvarez.
Williot Swedberg helped create the opportunity, setting up Alvarez to finish from close range after a well-worked attacking move.
Juventus struggled to convert their early chances, with Teun Koopmeiners missing opportunities to bring the visitors level. Nick Woltemade also failed to find the target as Celta went into the break with their advantage intact.
The Bianconeri increased the pressure after the restart, forcing goalkeeper Ionut Radu into several interventions.
Their persistence finally paid off in the 58th minute when Woltemade restored parity.
Koopmeiners delivered a cross from the left, and a poor attempt by Marcos Alonso to control the ball allowed the German forward to collect it and fire home from inside the penalty area.
The equaliser gave Juventus renewed confidence as they pushed for a winner, although Celta remained dangerous on the counter-attack.
Javi Rueda came close to restoring the hosts’ lead but could only hit the side-netting, while Pierre Kalulu produced an important defensive intervention to deny Ferran Jutgla.
Juventus continued searching for a breakthrough, with Nico Gonzalez going close after creating space for himself inside the box, only to send his effort narrowly wide.
The visitors eventually completed their comeback in the 92nd minute.
Andrea Cambiaso delivered an inviting cross from the left, and Kolo Muani rose between the Celta defenders to head the ball into the net from close range, sparking celebrations among the Juventus players.
The late strike secured a 2-1 victory for Juventus and extended their winning start in the Europa League league phase.
Despite enjoying less possession than their hosts, Juventus demonstrated greater attacking threat, registering 22 shots compared with Celta’s nine.
