Roberto Mancini got his managerial debut with Galatasaray off to an auspicious as start as the Turkish club earned a hard-fought point on the road in Champions League Group B play against Juventus on Wednesday, 2-2.
Mancini, who was hired on Monday, saw his club lead for much of the match. Juventus was the aggressor for much the 90 minutes, but struggled to find the equalizer after Didier Drogba scored in the 36th minute with a right-footed shot into an open net after eluding goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who had charged out of the box.
The score remained 1-0 until the 78th minute, when Arturo Vidal evened things up off a penalty kick. The goal followed a clear foul in the box by Galatasaray’s Nordin Amrabat on forward Fabio Quagliarella, who entered the match in the 26th minute for Mirko Vucinic.
Quagliarella would give Juve the lead with a header in the 87th minute off a fine assist from star playmaker Andrea Pirlo. It was questionable defending by Galatasaray to allow the Quagliarella to be left that open in front of the net.
However, the Juventus lead would last just 71 seconds when former Toulouse center forward Umut Bulut found the back of the net for the visitors. The veteran striker pounced on the headed pass from Drogba in the box, and delivered with a fine strike to salvage a point for Mancini’s side.
It was a disappointing result for the Serie A titans, who provided several chances to score. Juventus took 26 shots with five on goal, while Galatasaray took just seven shots, but four were on target. The Italian squad held possession for 59 percent of the match.
Juventus had a chance to get the go-ahead goal in stoppage time, but Fernando Llorente’s shot just inside the penalty marker went wide right.
After two matches, Real Madrid lead Group B with six points, followed by Juventus with two. Both FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray have one point.
Highlights Juventus 2-2 Galatasaray by Yasor90
VIDEO Juventus 2–2 Galatasaray: Highlights; 3 Goals In the Final 12 Minutes Provided Heated Late Drama In Turin [2013 Champions League]
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