Champions League: Juventus suffers a late defeat against Villarreal, while Napoli advances against Sporting.

Juventus drew 2-2, Napoli won 2-1. A positive outcome for the Italian teams from the Champions League matchday.

Former Veiga outwits Juve in the 90th minute, the match ends 2-2

Juve first trembled, then dreamed, and finally despaired: on the rollercoaster ride of VilA-Real, former player Veiga sealed the victory in the 90th minute. Thus, the Bianconeri, who had turned things around with Gatti and Conceicao after Mikautadze's goal, were held back once again and now have just two points from two Champions League games, with a trip to Real Madrid looming. Tudor made a change in goal, introducing Perin for Di Gregorio, while Koopmeiners was deployed in midfield alongside Yildiz and David up front. Locatelli and McKennie were in midfield, Cabal running down the left flank with Cambiaso on the opposite flank and the Kalulu, Gatti, and Kelly trio in defense. Marcelino settled into a tidy 4-4-2, with Pepe and Mikautadze staying up front to press the first ball carriers, with old acquaintances from Napoli (Rafa Marin) and Juve (Renato Veiga) in defense. Juve got off to a painful start, with Cabal immediately booked and Parejo and Pepe creating the first threats towards Perin's goal. Then, on a long ball, the Colombian felt a pull in his right thigh: the player left the pitch in tears and has already scheduled checks to assess the extent of the muscle injury. Joao Mario came on in his place. Villarreal continued to attack with a vengeance, and in the 18th minute they took the lead through Mikautadze, who first excelled in a duel with Cambiaso and then calmly beat Perin. The Bianconeri nearly collapsed in the 24th minute, saved by their own goalkeeper and the post on Pedraza's shot. Having escaped the threat of an immediate second, they began to appear in the Spanish half. Yildiz's shot is blocked by an opponent, McKennie's header is tipped out for a corner by Tenas, and David almost manages a loose ball that is parried by the Gialloblu goalkeeper. The end of the first half, however, is marked by a couple of enormous risks, with Perin saving from Buchanan and Mikautadze missing the target from a tight angle. Tudor begins the second half with Conceicao replacing Koopmeiners; the Portuguese player has an immediate opportunity, but David spectacularly sends the ball wide from close range. It's Juve's finest hour, and the equalizer comes moments later: from a throw-in, the ball falls to Gatti, who invents a Cristiano Ronaldo-style overhead kick, but Tenas is unable to save. Villarreal suffers the blow, Parejo sends Conceicao into open play, and the comeback is complete within seven minutes. Marcelino tries to restore his Villarreal side with Oluwaseyi and Moleiro, but Juve continues to push, with David hitting the crossbar. The Estadio de la Ceramica raises the volume for the final minutes, with Oluwaseyi squandering a chance from a good position and then becoming heated with an incident in the Juventus penalty area, with Adzic handling the ball with his arm firmly attached to his body and not punishable. And, right in the 90th minute, the insult comes: Akhomach takes the corner, former great Renato Veiga heads in from the middle of the area, and Perin is beaten. The Spaniards' enthusiasm continues into the five minutes of added time, with Gueye trying a header but it's too central. The scoreline remains unchanged: it finishes 2-2, the fourth draw in a row for Tudor. And this too feels like a missed opportunity.

Napoli flies with De Bruyne and Hojlund

The De Bruyne-Hojlund duo sealed Napoli's first Champions League victory. The Belgian provided the assists, and the Dane converted. Napoli nearly jeopardized the result due to a naivety from Politano, who committed a foul in the penalty area that gifted Sporting Lisbon a draw. But then Conte's irresistible winning duo closed the gap and secured a 2-1 victory. The Azzurri, despite their absences, played a good match and maintained a consistently offensive approach. The Portuguese team played with a dense web of passing but rarely managed to threaten, except for a late shot from Hjulmand, miraculously deflected by Milinkovic-Savic, which saved the win. Conte sent the Serbian goalkeeper between the posts and Spinazzola was brought back to the right flank to replace Di Lorenzo, who was suspended following his red card against Manchester City in the first round. Napoli consistently dominated the game, using a swarming maneuver to break through the Portuguese defense. When they weren't in possession, they erected a substantial barrier in front of their penalty area, which Rui Borges' two midfielders also consistently helped build. The Azzurri patiently attempted to flank the opposition on both sides of the attack, although McTominay rarely managed to get involved on the left. Conte's team patiently moved the ball around, trying to find the right opening in the opposition defense and often using tight passing on the edge of the penalty area. The opening goal, however, came on the counterattack. In the 35th minute of the first half, De Bruyne, following a Sporting attack, seized the ball on the edge of his own penalty area. The Belgian ran quickly toward midfield and, having reached the edge of Sporting's penalty area, passed it to the upright Hojlund, who outpaced Inacio and scored with a low shot. In the second half, Sporting began by increasing their offensive pressure in an attempt to level the score. Napoli's defense, however, remained focused and faced little threat. A naive mistake by Politano, who brought down Araujo in the penalty area, nevertheless allowed the Portuguese side to equalize. Suarez converted the penalty, wrong-footing Milinkovic-Savic. To invigorate the Azzurri's attack, Conte brought on Neres for Politano and Lang for McTominay. The De Bruyne-Hojlund duo once again solved the problems. In the 34th minute, the Belgian crossed from the left for his teammate. Hojlund beat Rui Silva to a header that sent the ball into the back of the net. In the final stages, Napoli defended and struggled. But, despite a prodigious late save from their goalkeeper, they managed to secure a precious victory without any major risks.

(Unioneonline)