UCL: Vlahović scores a brace in a five-goals thriller

Leipzig has Benjamin Šeško, but Juventus has Dušan Vlahović to pull them out of the ‘mud‘ and lead them to a great victory with the help of Francisco Conceição – 3:2. Nothing seemed to be going well for Juventus in this match. After just 12 minutes, Thiago Motta was forced to make two substitutions, both due to injuries. Five minutes later, captain Bremer had to leave the game and make way for Federico Gatti, and shortly after that, for the same reason, Nico González was replaced by Francisco Conceição. All of this severely disrupted the plans of Juventus' coaching staff, as the team once again showed that they are not in ideal form. Despite having more possession and shots in the first half, we saw little from the visitors from Turin. Despite this, they were close to taking the lead when Dušan Vlahović managed to redirect the trajectory of a shot from Nicolò Fagioli, but there was no goal.

Just seconds later, a counterattack and magic from Benjamin Šeško ensued. Luis Openda carried the ball forward, and the Slovenian, with a perfect touch, switched it to his left foot and blasted it past Di Gregorio. The second half brought a completely different game. Both teams started playing much more openly, which was great for neutral spectators. Chances followed one after another, and it was only a matter of time before the net would shake. Juventus was the first to do it. He may not have been that prominent in the first half, but Dušan Vlahović doesn't need much to shine. Incredible. The Serbian international managed to beat Orban and send the ball into the far corner.

Luis Openda caused major problems for Juventus' defense. The Belgian hit the post twice, and to make matters worse for Juve, Di Gregorio received a red card for handling the ball outside the penalty area after an Openda run. To add insult to injury, a penalty was awarded by François Letexier for a handball by Douglas Luiz, who had entered the game just a minute earlier. Šeško calmly converted the penalty – it seemed like things couldn't get worse for Juventus. But once again, they had their guardian angel: Dušan Vlahović. Just three minutes later, the Serbian answered Šeško with a beautiful goal that not even two goalkeepers could have saved. In the final moments, the battle intensified. Šeško and his teammates attacked with everything they had, while Juve defended as best they could, waiting for a chance on the counter. Considering how the game began for Juventus – another wasted and uninspired first half – even a point seemed like a prize. But then Francisco Conceição stepped up and asked, why not go for all three? The Portuguese player literally outplayed David Raum like a rookie and silenced the "Red Bull" Arena with a comeback, leading to total delirium on the Juventus bench. This triumph could easily be the turning point of the season for the Old Lady, especially considering their disappointing results and performances in Serie A over the past month.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 2

Tuesday

Salzburg - Brest 0-4 (0-1)

/Sima 24, 70, Camara 66, Lage 76/

Stuttgart - Sparta Praha 1-1 (1-1)

/Millot 7 - Kairinen 32/

Leverkusen - Milan 1-0 (0-0)

/Boniface 51/

Dortmund - Celtic 7-1 (5-1)

/Can 8 pen, Adeyemi 11, 29, 42, Guirassy 40 pen, Nmecha 79 - Maeda 9/

Barcelona - Young Boys 5-0 (3-0)

/Lewandowski 8,51, Raphinha 34, Martinez 37, Camara 81 og/

Inter - Crvena Zvezda 4-0 (1-0)

/Calhanoglu 11, Arnautovic 59, Martinez 71, Taremi 81 pen/

Arsenal - PSG 2-0 (2-0)

/Havertz 20, Saka 35/

Slovan B. - Man.City 0-4 (0-2)

/Gundogan 8, Foden 15, Haaland 58, Mcatee 74/

PSV - Sporting 1-1 (1-0)

/Schouten 15 - Braganca 83/

Wednesday

Girona - Feyenoord 2-3 (1-2)

/Lopez 20, van de Beek 74 - Herrera 23 og, Milambo 33, Krejci 79 og/

Shakhtar - Atalanta 0-3 (0-2)

/Djimsiti 21, Lookman 44, Bellanova 48/

Dinamo Zagreb - Monaco 22 (1-0)

/Sucic 45+3, Baturina 66 - Salisu 74, Zakaria 89/

Lille - Real Madrid 1-0 (1-0)

/David 45+3 pen/

Benfica - Atl.Madrid 4-0 (1-0)

/Akturkoglu 13, Di Maria 52, Bah 75, Kokcu 85//

Aston Villa - Bayern 1-0 (0-0)

/Duran 79/

RB Leipzig - Juventus 2-3 (1-0)

/Sesko 30, 65(p) - Vlahović 50, 68, Conceicao 82/

Liverpool - Bologna 2-0 (1-0)

/Mac Allister 11, Salah 75/

Sturm - Club Brugge 0-1 (0-1)

/Tzolis 23/