Randal Kolo Muani came off the bench and scored in stoppage time to hand Juventus a 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo at the Municipal de Balaídos on Thursday, according to sports.yahoo.com. The Italian side had trailed since the 18th minute before Nick Woltemade leveled proceedings on 58, and it was Kolo Muani, introduced just 26 minutes from time, who delivered the decisive blow with virtually the last act of the match. Celta had defended their lead with discipline but could not hold on, leaving Luciano Spalletti’s side with six points from their opening two Europa League games.
Key Moments
- 18′, Hugo Alvarez opens the scoring for Celta Vigo, finishing from a Swedberg assist to give the hosts an early advantage.
- 58′, Woltemade equalizes for Juventus, pulling the visitors level and shifting momentum in their favor after a dominant second-half start.
- 64′, Spalletti makes a double change, bringing on Kolo Muani and Gonzalez for Francisco Conceicao and Kerim-Sam Alajbegovic, reshaping the attack.
- 90′, Kolo Muani converts from an Cambiaso assist to win it at the death, completing Juventus’s comeback from a goal down.
Tactical Breakdown
Juventus dominated the game in terms of volume and territory. Spalletti’s side finished with 53% possession, 22 shots to Celta’s nine, and 17 of those attempts from inside the box. Their expected goals figure of 1.75 against Celta’s 1.1 reflects how thoroughly they controlled the second half once Woltemade equalized. Cambiaso was active throughout on the left flank, completing 90 minutes and ultimately providing the assist for the winner, while Sarr offered defensive stability in midfield.
The decisive tactical shift came on 64 minutes. With the scores level and Juventus searching for a way through, Spalletti withdrew Francisco Conceicao and Kerim-Sam Alajbegovic and sent on Kolo Muani and Gonzalez. The move paid off immediately in terms of energy and directness. A further double change at 70 minutes, with Bremer and Lucumi replacing Gatti and Kelly, gave the backline fresh legs as Celta pushed to reclaim their lead.
Celta’s downfall was an inability to build on their early lead. After Hugo Alvarez’s opener, they conceded territory progressively and managed only two shots on target across the full 90 minutes, forcing Radu into just one meaningful save. The Galicians grew passive as the second half wore on, and their five late substitutions could not inject enough urgency to threaten a second goal and protect the first.
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Verdict
Juventus bank three more points in the UEFA Europa League league stage, with six from their opening two matches under Spalletti. Celta Vigo have yet to take a point in their debut Europa League campaign and will need a response in the games ahead after conceding a 90th-minute winner at home.