Gatti and Osimhen sent powerful message but Juventus face uphill UCL climb now

Federico Gatti and Victor Osimhen warmly hugged each other after a 120-minute clash in Juventus-Galatasaray, sending a powerful message to Italian football, but the Bianconeri now face an uphill climb to qualify for the Champions League.

Juventus’ 3-2 win against Galatasaray will go down as one of the most memorable games in the Old Lady’s history, even if not entirely for the right reasons.

Even after going down to 10 men at the beginning of the second half, Juventus pulled off a remarkable three-goal comeback against the Turkish giants. Having lost the first leg 5-2 the week before, Juventus stormed to a 3-0 lead to force the match into extra time.

I’ve been covering Serie A football for over 15 years and have reported on several Juventus matches at the Allianz Stadium. The only other time I felt the stadium shake was in 2019, when Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and helped the Bianconeri beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 on aggregate to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals.

Last night, I felt exactly the same as the Bianconeri fans created a fantastic atmosphere from start to finish and didn’t stop cheering on the team even after Galatasaray’s second goal.

Not even Lloyd Kelly’s debatable red card made Juventus lose their momentum. Still, ultimately, the Bianconeri found themselves licking their wounds after an incredible night of football, which once again confirmed the ill-fated relationship between the Old Lady and the Cup with the big ears.

Juventus and Galatasaray put on the field exactly what you expect in a top-level Champions League match, and particularly the duel between Gatti and Osimhen summed up the spirit shown in Turin last night.

The clash between the Bianconeri defender and the ex-Napoli striker began quickly as the pair had an argument early in the first half, when Osimhen even took off his trademark face mask to yell at the Italy centre-back.

It is still unclear what Gatti told Osimhen to prompt his angry reaction, but surely neither showed hard feelings at the end of the game, as they warmly hugged each other as soon as the referee blew the full-time whistle.

We’ve already discussed many times how Serie A football has become way too soft, somehow even thanks to an excessive use of VAR. Yet last night’s match showed that Italian clubs can, and must play at a high tempo to give their best and become a real threat to any opponent at a European stage. Atalanta know something about it too, having beaten Borussia Dortmund 4-1, becoming the only Serie A side to qualify for the Champions League Round of 16 this season.

Even though Galatasaray players went way too far with their time-wasting technique, especially in the first half, the duel between Osimhen and Gatti was always vigorous, rough, but, above all, fair, and it’s no coincidence that at the end of the match, they set their rivalry aside for a heartfelt embrace that showed exaclty the attitude players must have on the pitch nowadays.

It’s not an overly sentimental take, quite the opposite. Galatasaray tried to sit on their three-goal lead for much of the game and nearly paid a high price for it, as the intensity, the tough challenges, and the desire to always play the ball from Juventus gave them a chance to get back in the contest despite the big advantage held by the Turkish side.

This should serve as a lesson for Serie A football, but mostly the Italy national team. If we are to go to the World Cup, we must stick to football and forget unnecessary drama.

Now, the tricky part begins for Juventus.

It’s hard to remember a Bianconeri side in recent years that has built so much, yet collected so little. It’s undeniable that the playing style and the confidence under Luciano Spalletti have increased dramatically, but the Old Lady remains four points below the top four and has a crucial away game at Roma coming up.

Juventus already proved in Istanbul last week that the physical and psychological burden from a high-level performance can take its toll in the following games. After their controversial 3-2 loss to Inter less than two weeks ago, the Bianconeri suffered a 5-2 defeat away to Galatasaray and then capitulated 2-0 at home against Como.

In those two matches, the Bianconeri looked empty, perhaps also due to the fierce battle at San Siro against their heated rivals.

Surely, this is something they can’t afford next weekend, as a defeat against Roma would push them seven points below a Champions League spot with just 11 Serie A games remaining.

Juventus are not as bad as they looked at the start of the season, largely due to Spalletti’s tactical and psychological work with the team. Yet the Bianconeri’s qualification for the Champions League remains uncertain, and their next match, in just three days, will say a lot about their chances to finish in the top four.

It won’t be easy, especially after playing with such high intensity and being reduced to ten men for over an hour. Roma, on the other hand, have had a week to prepare for one of the most important games of the year. This, however, cannot be an excuse for Juventus, who must be strong enough to prove that their sacrifice and pain against Galatasaray were not in vain.