Villarreal pulled off a thrilling comeback on Tuesday night, grabbing a last-gasp 2–2 draw against Juventus at Estadio de la Cerámica. Renato Veiga’s 90th-minute header his first-ever goal in the competition saved the Yellow Submarine from defeat and stretched their unbeaten home run in Europe to nine matches.
Softfootball predicted a 1-1 draw in the pre-match preview, and it was the kind of night that had everything: pace, drama, and a few nervy moments that had fans on edge till the very end.
Villarreal started the game on fire, playing with energy and confidence. In just the 18th minute, Nicolas Pépé slipped a sharp pass across goal, and Georges Mikautadze, who’s been in fine touch lately, calmly tucked it into the bottom corner. That strike marked his first goal in the Champions League, one he’ll surely remember.
The home fans barely had time to sit before Alfonso Pedraza almost made it two, cracking a fierce shot that Perin tipped onto the post. Villarreal were flying, but Juventus slowly found their rhythm, with Weston McKennie trying to test Arnau Tenas from range. At the other end, Tajon Buchanan came close, but Perin’s reactions kept Juve alive.
The second half flipped the game on its head. From nowhere, Juventus equalised, McKennie’s long throw was flicked on by Lloyd Kelly and somehow fell kindly for Federico Gatti, who acrobatically smashed home a bicycle kick. Minutes later, substitute Francisco Conceição, quick as lightning, pounced on a misplaced pass from Dani Parejo, cutting inside before slotting past Tenas.
Villarreal uploaded a video of the team applauding the fans after the draw on the team’s official X account, celebrating the point with the very people that cheered them on. They also uploaded another video on the team’s X handle of Pepe receiving his man of the match award.
Watch the video below:
It looked all but over, especially when Jonathan David hit the bar late on. But Villarreal weren’t done. Deep into stoppage time, Ilias Akhomach whipped in a teasing corner, and Veiga rose highest, powering home a header that sent the Cerámica into wild celebration. Juventus will be disappointed, as this was just similar to the 4-4 draw the team played out against Dortmund in the first round of the UCL. In fact, Juventus have drawn the last four games they have played.
The draw leaves both sides sitting on one point after Matchday 2, but Villarreal’s spirit, once again, shone through on a night that felt more like a win than a rescue.
