Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Villarreal v Juventus - Estadio de la Ceramica, Villarreal, Spain - October 1, 2025 Villarreal's Georges Mikautadze in action with Juventus' Jonathan David REUTERS/Pablo Morano
VILLARREAL, Spain (Reuters) -Villarreal snatched a dramatic 2-2 draw against Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Renato Veiga's last-minute header denying the Italian side their first win.
Georges Mikautadze put Villarreal ahead in the 18th minute, finishing coolly into the far corner after Nicolas Pepe put him through inside the area. The hosts continued to threaten with Alfonso Pedraza and Tajon Buchanan, but Juventus keeper Mattia Perin denied both before the break.
Juventus rallied in the second half, equalising through Federico Gatti's acrobatic overhead kick in the 49th minute, before Francisco Conceicao gave them the lead seven minutes later, pouncing on a defensive error by Dani Parejo to slot home.
"The team understood what we needed to improve at the end of the first half," Conceicao said.
"We have to train a little better. We improved in the second half but couldn't get the win. But it must be said that we played a strong team."
Villarreal refused to give in, and Veiga, who spent half of last season at Juventus, rose highest to head in a corner from close range in the 90th minute, securing the hosts' first point of the campaign.
The Spaniards next play at Real Madrid in LaLiga on Saturday.
"I'm a bit pissed off because of that play and my loose ball," Parejo said.
"In any case, I'm very proud of the team's comeback. Now let's think about Madrid, a beautiful and special team that has only lost one game, and we are also in good form."
Juventus coach Igor Tudor voiced his frustration, admitting his side looked nervous at times as they let victory slip away.
"You can’t lose a game in the last seconds from a corner like that. We’ll take this point and move on," he said.
"We worked and prepared as best we could, but we did have some difficulties. There was too much of a frenzy and too many nerves. Too many simple passes we got wrong."
Yet the Croatian manager stood up for his defenders.
"The three defenders are doing better than anyone else," Tudor said. "We need to be winning more second balls. The three at the back held the fort for the whole game."
Juventus remain unbeaten across all competitions and will next host AC Milan in Serie A on Sunday.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina and Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; editing by Clare Fallon)
