Gatti: ‘Absurd’ red card for Kelly, but Juventus’ reaction ‘incredible’ | OneFootball

Juventus defender Federico Gatti insists the Bianconeri ‘threw the qualification away’ in the first leg against Galatasaray, but the reaction in Turin was ‘incredible’ despitean ‘absurd’ red card to Lloyd Kelly.

Juventus were eliminated from the Champions League knockout phase on Wednesday, despite a 3-2 home win over Galatasaray.

The Bianconeri had been reduced to ten men at the start of the second half, but still managed to reach the 90th minute three goals up.

The visitors, however, scored twice in extra time to progress to the Round of 16.

Gatti reacts to Kelly’s red card

TURIN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 25: Referee João Pinheiro shows the red card to Lloyd Kelly of Juventus FC during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between Juventus and Galatasaray A.S. at Juventus Stadium on February 25, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)

“The problem is that we threw qualification away in the first leg, but tonight was an extraordinary performance,” Gatti told Amazon Prime Video Italia.

“The red card for Kelly seems absurd to me, us defenders are far too penalised by these rules. The reaction was incredible, the fans really helped support us too, but we were exhausted in extra time. We had got the game back on track down to 10 men, but we threw it all away in the first leg.

“It’s so disappointing, because the qualification is ultimately the only thing that counts, and we didn’t get the result we needed. It was an enormous performance, though. I’m so exhausted,” the defender continued.

“I was coming back from an injury and I am still not at 100 per cent, but the more I play, the better I’ll get.”

TURIN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 25: Federico Gatti of Juventus FC celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between Juventus and Galatasaray A.S. at Juventus Stadium on February 25, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)

Did Luciano Spalletti say anything after the final whistle?

“No, we didn’t cross paths,” Gatti concluded.

Gatti scored Juventus’ second goal last night, but it was still not enough for the Old Lady to progress to the next phase.

Atalanta are the only Serie A representative to have qualified for the Round of 16, beating Borussia Dortmund 4-3 on aggregate. Tomorrow, Friday, February 23, La Dea will find out whether they’ll face Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the next phase.