PSV Eindhoven secured a dramatic place in the last 16 of the Champions League after overcoming Juventus 3-1 in extra time, completing a thrilling 4-3 aggregate victory in Eindhoven on Wednesday night.
Centre-back Ryan Flamingo proved to be the hero, capitalising on a defensive lapse to score the decisive goal in the first half of extra time. The Dutch champions will now face either Arsenal or Inter Milan in the next round.
“Everyone gave it their all today,” said PSV captain Luuk de Jong. “We had our backs against the wall, but we kept pushing and deserved the win. It was just fantastic.”
Backed by a raucous crowd at the Philips Stadion, PSV dominated early proceedings, pressing Juventus high up the pitch and controlling possession. However, the first half ended goalless, with the Italian side content to protect their slender 2-1 advantage from the first leg in Turin.
Needing a goal to stay in the tie, PSV increased their attacking intensity after the break. The breakthrough came in the 53rd minute when Noa Lang weaved past two Juventus defenders before setting up Ivan Perisic. The Croatian veteran controlled the ball expertly and rifled a stunning shot into the bottom corner.
Despite PSV’s dominance, Juventus regained the aggregate lead against the run of play when Timothy Weah unleashed a powerful low strike past Walter Benitez from outside the box.
The Dutch side responded with relentless pressure, and their persistence paid off when Moroccan midfielder Ismael Saibari smashed the ball into the top corner following a goalmouth scramble, levelling the tie at 3-3 on aggregate.
PSV came close to sealing victory in normal time, with Lang being denied by a stunning save from Michele Di Gregorio, while Saibari squandered a golden opportunity in the opening minutes of extra time.
However, the home side finally took the lead in the 96th minute when Flamingo pounced on a defensive mix-up, poking the ball home from close range.
Juventus nearly forced penalties when Dusan Vlahovic struck the post, but PSV held firm through a tense second half of extra time to seal a famous victory.
The result capped a miserable week for Italian clubs in the play-off phase, with AC Milan and Atalanta also suffering elimination.
