Manuel Locatelli, Juventus striker, shared his feelings after being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League playoff round by Galatasaray.
Manuel Locatelli, the Italian forward for Juventus, admitted he felt like crying after his club lost at home to Galatasaray in extra time, resulting in their unfortunate exit from the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League playoffs.
Juventus lost the first leg away 2-5, making their task difficult in the second match. However, they united to win 3-0 in regular time, tying the aggregate score at 5-5 and forcing extra time. Ultimately, Galatasaray scored 2 more goals, winning 7-5 on aggregate and advancing to the round of 16, leaving Juventus eliminated at the playoff stage.
Locatelli said, "We gave our hearts and souls to this game. This is the team we must always be."
"I truly felt like crying. We genuinely believed we could qualify. We gave our all, body and mind, for this match. The first leg made everything very difficult, but today I want to sincerely thank everyone."
"The atmosphere in the stadium was incredible. This is a night that will remain in memory. We received full energy from the fans."
Juventus have been criticized this season for lacking fighting spirit, but tonight they cannot be accused of that as they almost pulled off an incredible comeback.
"We gave our all, body and mind. I always ask everyone to do that, and tonight we truly did. So this is what we must hold onto and continue."
"This is the Juventus we want to see and must always be. We have to keep striving to play at this level. We are on the right path and must not lose that belief."