Villarreal staged late drama in the Champions League on Wednesday night, rescuing a 2-2 draw against Juventus after Renato Veiga’s stoppage-time header denied the Italians their first win of the campaign.
The hosts struck first in the 18th minute when Georges Mikautadze latched onto a clever pass from Nicolas Pepe and calmly tucked his finish into the far corner.
Villarreal pushed to extend their advantage, with Alfonso Pedraza and Tajon Buchanan forcing sharp saves from Juve goalkeeper Mattia Perin before the interval.
Juventus emerged stronger after the break. Federico Gatti levelled matters in the 49th minute with a spectacular overhead kick, and just seven minutes later Francisco Conceição capitalised on a miscue from Dani Parejo to slot home and complete the turnaround.
“The team realised what needed to change before the break,” Conceição reflected afterwards. “We improved in the second half and almost came away with the win, but Villarreal are a tough side.”
Refusing to bow, Villarreal poured forward late on. Veiga, who spent part of last season with Juventus, rose above the defence to nod in from close range on 90 minutes, sparking wild celebrations and ensuring the Yellow Submarine’s first point of the group stage.
Parejo admitted frustration over his costly error but hailed the team’s resilience, “I’m angry at myself for that mistake, but proud of how we fought back. Now we focus on Madrid, always a special opponent.”
Villarreal travel to the Bernabéu to face Real Madrid in LaLiga on Saturday, while Juventus will aim to maintain their unbeaten run when they welcome AC Milan in Serie A on Sunday.
