Juventus players celebrate the victory

Juventus Returns to Champions League with 3-1 Win Over PSV Eindhoven

Italian Juventus completed their return to the new edition of the European Champions League after a two-year absence by defeating their Dutch guests, PSV Eindhoven, 3-1 in the first leg of the first round on Tuesday.

Turkish Kenan Yıldız (21) and American Weston McKenney (27) scored goals for Juventus to decide the match within 6 minutes of the first half and added a third goal in the second half through Argentine Nicolas Gonzalez (52). Moroccan substitute Ismail Saibari scored PSV’s goal (90+3).

Juventus returns after a 685-day absence, notably since a 1-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain on November 2, 2022 in the group stage, with new coach Thiago Motta, who after an exemplary start to the league, has two wins with a scoreline of 3–0. The Italian clubs continued their dominance against PSV Eindhoven, as the latter are winless in seven away matches in the Champions League (2 draws vs 5 defeats).

On the other hand, PSV Eindhoven, who were knocked out of the quarter-finals of the continental competition last season and went into the match in high spirits while topping the Dutch league with a perfect score of five wins, failed to translate that locally. Excellence in continental arena.

Juventus Dominates the First Half

Juventus dominated the first half, pressing in the first half and opening the scoring through Yıldız on his Champions League debut and the first goal of the new edition with a magical right-footed shot from inside the area that landed in the opposite corner. Goalkeeper Joel Drummell (21).

According to Opta Statistics, at 19 years and 136 days, Yildiz became the youngest player to score in continental competition for Juventus, breaking Alessandro Del Piero’s record (20 years and 308 days).

Juventus Adds Two More Goals

The hosts added their second after 6 minutes, Argentine striker Nicolás González, new arrival from Fiorentina, manipulated Belgium defender Mathieu Dames into the penalty area and passed to McKenney, who shot to the goalkeeper’s left from the penalty mark.

Early in the second half, Juventus capitalized on a defensive error by their Dutch guests to go three goals ahead, with the goalkeeper passing the ball alone to Gonzalez, who fired in a right-footed shot into the net (52).

In the third minute of stoppage time, Cibari reduced the score with a low shot from inside the area after receiving a pass from Belgium’s Johan Bakayoko.