Juventus Snatch Thrilling Draw After Goal-Filled Second Period Showdown With Borussia Dortmund
British defender L. Kelly netted an equaliser in the sixth minute of added time to salvage a point for Juventus after an electrifying eight-goal second half at home against Borussia.
The Defender’s Redemption Following Spot-Kick Mistake
Centre-back Kelly – who joined from the Magpies this offseason – had given away a penalty that allowed the visitors to go 4-2, before he followed up Vlahovic's 94th-minute equaliser by heading home a delivery from the Serbia striker two minutes.
Slow Start Gives Way to Scoring Frenzy
Neither side created little worth mentioning during the first 45 minutes as they neutralized one another in the middle.
The first half failed to excite viewers, yet anyone who stuck around were treated to a burst of real excitement after halftime – as Juventus fought back three times, with eight goals coming from the 51st minute onward.
It is just the second UCL match in which eight scores have been scored during a single half, following the latter period in Bayern's 9-2 victory over Dinamo Zagreb last season.
Back-and-Forth Second Half
Karim Adeyemi gave Dortmund the first goal after he neatly maneuvered possession on the edge the area and placed it into the far corner.
The German side stepped up with their finishing, however, little over 10 minutes after, a moment of brilliance from Juve from Kenan Yildiz resulted in the young star bending a wonderful effort into the far top corner from distance.
Under 120 seconds passed and Dortmund were back ahead, with Felix Nmecha delivering another sublime finish when he curled a first-time effort into the top corner.
But the drama continued with further twists around the corner, with Vlahovic coolly finishing in a breakaway less than two minutes to tie again.
Late Drama
After surrendering their advantage twice, Dortmund retook control once again as Couto, charging towards the Juve box, fired a powerful shot inside of the post, narrowly past the outstretched hand of the goalkeeper.
Ramy Bensebaini doubled the advantage from the penalty spot when former England Under-21 international Kelly touched the ball inside the area.
But Vlahovic blasted a last-gasp shot in off the woodwork then assisting ex- Bristol City and Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly to seal a late equalizer.
