The elimination of Juventus from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Galatasaray has left marks on the Italian team's locker room. Despite a remarkable comeback that took the game into extra time, the 3-2 victory was not enough to overturn the 2-5 defeat in the first leg. At the end of the match, Federico Gatti did not hide his disappointment and pointed to the first leg as the decisive moment of the tie. "We threw away qualification in the first leg. Today the boys put on an incredible performance," said the defender, who was very critical of Kelly's red card, a moment that, in the Italian's opinion, affected the match: "The incident with Kelly seems quite absurd to me. He hits the ball; what more could he do? We, defenders, are too penalized in today's football. It's clear that these incidents change games," lamented Gatti. Gatti praised the team's reaction and the support from the fans but emphasized the physical exhaustion in extra time. "There was an impressive reaction; the fans supported us immensely. It's a shame because we arrived a bit tired in extra time. We managed to lift the game with one player less, but, I repeat, we lost the tie in the first leg. The performance remains, but what counts is the result, and we didn't advance. We put on a huge display; I am exhausted and very disappointed," he concluded. The sentiment was shared by Manuel Locatelli, who appeared visibly emotional. "I feel like crying for how we believed and for everything we gave. We gave our hearts," confessed the midfielder. "These are games that stay in the heart, but unfortunately, we achieved nothing. Just energy that we can carry with us until the end of the season. We gave our all, all the players and everyone who was off the field," added the midfielder, who is already looking to the future: "Now we have an important game against Roma, and we have to think about that." Luciano Spalletti, the bianconeri coach, made no statements after the match. Giorgio Chiellini, the sporting director, assured: "There is no doubt about Spalletti's future."
Juventus Feel Like Crying remains central to this story.
Juventus Feel Like Crying remains central to this story.
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