Kenan Yildiz and Weston McKennie’s two quick goals in the first half of Juventus’ 3-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday marked a flawless comeback for the Dutch team in the Champions League.
At the half, Yildiz and McKennie gave Juve a 2-0 lead in coach Thiago Motta’s first game in charge of a team in European play.
Nicolas Gonzalez then added a third goal after the break, and in stoppage time, Ismael Saibari gave PSV a response.
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Champions League regulars Juventus has made a successful comeback to Europe’s premier club tournament after a one-year hiatus.
They were eliminated for the first time since 2011–12 after they lost points due to a case involving the club’s transfer transactions.
Juve denied any misconduct, but they were also barred from European competition the previous season for violating Financial Fair Play and UEFA Club Licensing regulations.
Walter Benitez, PSV’s first-choice goalkeeper, left Turin a few hours before the match to be with his family after the birth of his baby.
PSV leads the Eredivisie standings with a perfect record of 15 points after five games.
An exciting start to the game was guaranteed as two past European champions faced off in a competitive contest for the first time.
After 21 minutes, Yildiz gave Juventus the lead with a beautiful curling shot from just inside the box that went in off the inside of the post and left custodian Joel Drommel helpless.
The Turkish youngsters kicked off the new Champions League format on Tuesday with two early kickoffs.
Under the new system, clubs play eight games in the 36-team league phase, which has replaced the group stage.
At 19 years and 136 days, Yildiz broke the record set by Alessandro Del Piero, who scored against Borussia Dortmund in 1995 at the age of 20 years and 308 days, to become Juventus’ youngest goalscorer in the Champions League.
McKennie extended Juventus’ advantage in the 27th minute with a close-range goal inside the right-hand post.
A few minutes earlier, McKennie had a golden chance from the same spot that Drommel had blocked.
After the interval, PSV stepped up their attempts, but in the fifty-second minute, winger Gonzalez scored a goal into the far top corner to seal the victory for the home team.
Gonzalez scored his first goal in the Champions League after Dusan Vlahovic won the ball close to the middle of the pitch and sent a beautiful low cross into the area.
After four games without a loss in Serie A, Juve gave up their first goal of the season to Saibari, who gave PSV a late consolation.