TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 11: Samuel Mbangula of Juventus celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off first leg match between Juventus and PSV at Allianz Stadium on February 11, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 11: Samuel Mbangula of Juventus celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off first leg match between Juventus and PSV at Allianz Stadium on February 11, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Juventus take a narrow lead with them into the second leg of the Champions League play-off thanks to Weston McKennie and Samuel Mbangula around Ivan Perisic’s temporary PSV Eindhoven equaliser.

These sides had already met in the league phase, with the Bianconeri winning here 3-1 on September 17, and the second leg of the play-off is on February 19. Mid-season signings Randal Kolo Muani, Lloyd Kelly and Renato Veiga all started, with Teun Koopmeiners and Dusan Vlahovic pushed to the bench, plus Andrea Cambiaso, Pierre Kalulu, Arkadiusz Milik, Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal injured. PSV missed Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi and former Roma full-back Rick Karsdorp, but had ex-Serie A players Jerdy Schouten and Perisic.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Tim Weah’s cross-shot stung the goalkeeper’s gloves in the opening minutes, while Ryan Flamingo charged down a Kolo Muani tap-in with his sliding block, then both Nico Gonzalez and ex-Inter winger Perisic tested the goalkeepers.

Luuk de Jong nodded a Noa Lang cross back from the by-line from a corner, but Flamingo just failed to get full contact with his header from six yards.

Federico Gatti created the opening goal, as he battled down the right first to pull it back from the by-line, then to win it again and set up the McKennie right-foot scorcher into the roof of the net from the edge of the area. The USMNT midfielder had also scored when Juve beat PSV Eindhoven 3-1 here in September 2024.

Samuel Mbangula came on for the second half and almost scored straight away when volleying the strong Tim Weah run and cross from the right, but it was acrobatically cleared off the line by Flamingo.

epa11889202 Juventus' Weston McKennie (2-L) scores the 1-0 goal during the UEFA Champions League play-offs first leg soccer match between Juventus FC and PSV Eindhoven, in Turin, Italy, 11 February 2025. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MARCO
epa11889202 Juventus’ Weston McKennie (2-L) scores the 1-0 goal during the UEFA Champions League play-offs first leg soccer match between Juventus FC and PSV Eindhoven, in Turin, Italy, 11 February 2025. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MARCO

However, PSV Eindhoven equalised when Perisic sold Kelly a dummy to cut inside and drill hard and low with his left foot into the near bottom corner. Juve complained that there was a possible Lang handling offence in the build-up, but the VAR check considered it insufficient to disallow the goal.

Juve restored their advantage with another strong run down the right flank, this time from Francisco Conceicao whose low effort was parried with one glove at the near post by Benitez, only into the path of Mbangula to turn in the rebound from seven yards.

PSV pushed to the end, as Renato Veiga and Di Gregorio combined to prevent Guus Til turning in the Luuk de Jong knock-down in stoppages.

Juventus 2-1 PSV Eindhoven

McKennie 34 (J), Perisic 56 (P), Mbangula 82 (J)

11-02-2025 20:00
Knockout phase play-offs

Player statistic

1st half
Weston McKennie
(Assist: Federico Gatti)
Goal 34'    
2nd half
    56' Goal Ivan Perisic
    73' Yellow card Luuk de Jong
Samuel Mbangula Goal 82'    

Match statistic

47
Possession %
53
12
Total shots
15
8
Shots on target
2
Shots off target
7
4
Blocked shots
6
5
Corners
4
4
Offsides
14
Fouls
12
JUV
PSV

Starting lineups

29
Goalkeeper
4
Defender
Defender
26
Midfielder
5
Midfielder
68'
Midfielder
16
Midfielder
68'
10
Attacker
46'
11
Attacker
58'
77'
22
Attacker
1
Goalkeeper
17
Defender
4
Defender
6
Defender
34
Midfielder
72'
22
Midfielder
23
Midfielder
37
Midfielder
5
Attacker
9
Attacker
10
Attacker
72'

Substitutes

23
Goalkeeper
1
Goalkeeper
40
Defender
37
Defender
51
Attacker
46'
7
58'
8
Midfielder
68'
19
Midfielder
68'
9
Attacker
77'
16
Goalkeeper
3
Defender
26
Midfielder
39
Defender
28
Midfielder
19
21
Attacker
24
Goalkeeper
38
Attacker
36
Defender
20
Midfielder
72'
11
Attacker
72'
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