Weston McKennie’s Heroics Help Juventus 3-2 Win Over RB Leipzig

The crucial tackle by American middlefielder sparks Juventus’s late winner.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, Weston McKennie was instrumental in enabling Juventus to pull off a remarkable 3-2 victory over RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League. Eight minutes remaining in regulation and the game tied two-two, McKennie made a critical sliding tackle in midfield to set up a counter-attack that finally resulted in Francisco Conceicao’s winning goal.

Down to just 10 players following a red card for goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, Juventus was in a tight struggle. With a well executed sliding challenge, the U.S. international McKennie won the ball and resulted in a fast transition play. Receiving the ball, Francisco Conceicao gave the Bianconeri a remarkable victory by dribbling past two defenders and slot-ting the winning goal with amazing agility and accuracy.

Match Summary

RB Leipzig led first through forward Benjamin Sesko, but early in the second half Dusan Vlahovic replied with a deft flick-on goal. After Juventus goalkeeper Di Gregorio was issued a red card for handling the ball outside the box in the 59th minute, Leipzig seemed to regain momentum. Leipzig seized the numerical advantage and led 2-1 after a penalty kick in the 65th minute.

But Juventus showed amazing tenacity; just three minutes later, Vlahovic hit an amazing curling effort to tie the score at 2-2. Then McKennie’s pivotal tackle in the 85th minute resulted in Conceicao’s winner, therefore securing the three points for Bianconeri.

McKennie’s Future: Outlook

Named to Mauricio Pochettino’s first-ever U.S. squad earlier on Wednesday, McKennie keeps surprising for Juventus and his national team. Though fellow U.S. winger Tim Weah did not play in this game, McKennie’s exceptional performance on both ends of the pitch will inspire the U.S. Men’s National Team before their next games.