Renato Veiga scored a 90th-minute equaliser as Villarreal rescued a 2-2 draw against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League (UCL), extending their unbeaten home run to nine matches.
Having won only two of their last 12 UCL matches at Estadio de la Ceramica (D5, L5), the Yellow Submarine knew a positive start was needed against their Italian visitors.
Spurred on by a fervent home crowd, Villarreal came flying out the blocks, and their early pressure was rewarded in the 18th minute when Nicolas Pepe’s cutback was clinically swept into the bottom corner by Georges Mikautadze, who scored in the UCL for the first time ever.
Armed with the momentum, Marcelino’s men came within inches of doubling their lead just five minutes later, as Alfonso Pedraza’s powerful strike was tipped onto the post by Mattia Perin.
Grateful to only be one goal behind, Juventus grew into the contest as the first half progressed, with Weston McKennie seeing a couple of half-chances thwarted by Arnau Tenas, while at the other end, Perin stood firm to repel Tajon Buchanan’s close-range effort.
The Old Lady’s last four matches had seen both teams score, and the visitors extended that record within four minutes of the restart when Lloyd Kelly flicked McKennie’s long-throw into the path of Federico Gatti, who fired a stunning bicycle kick beyond Tenas.
A second goal soon followed for Juventus, as substitute Francisco Conceicao capitalised on Dani Parejo’s misplaced pass to cut inside Rafa Marin and finish coolly into the net.
That quickfire double stunned the Yellow Submarine, who tried to regain some semblance of composure heading into the final 20 minutes.
Juventus could have sealed the points when Jonathan David struck the bar with a dinked effort, and that proved to be costly, as in the final minute, Veiga rose highest in the six-yard box to convert Ilias Akhomach’s corner, extending the Old Lady’s dismal away run in the UCL to just one win in 11 (D5, L5).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Francisco Conceicao (Juventus)