Juventus 3-1 PSV: Yildiz stunner helps Bianconeri to winning European return

Juventus beat PSV 3-1 on their return to the Champions League on Tuesday, aided by by two quickfire goals from Kenan Yildiz and Weston McKennie in the first half.

The Bianconeri were playing their first match in Europe’s elite club competition since 2022-23, when they suffered a humiliating group-stage exit before failing to qualify for the next edition.

Thiago Motta has enjoyed a decent start to life in Turin, though, and that continued on Tuesday as Juve eased past their Eredivisie opponents.

Yildiz gave Juve the lead after 21 minutes with a stunning curling shot from just inside the box, leaving goalkeeper Joel Drommel helpless as the ball crashed off the inside of the post and in.

McKennie doubled their advantage six minutes later, netting inside the right-hand post from close range and winger Nicolas Gonzalez made it 3-0 with a back-post finish after the break.

Ismael Saibari pulled a goal back for PSV in stoppage time, but it was a thoroughly deserved victory for Juve, who are next in European action at RB Leipzig on October 2.

Data Debrief: Big night for Juve’s young guns

Motta has been charged with overseeing a new era at the Allianz Stadium, and the average age of Juve’s starting lineup on Tuesday was the youngest in their Champions League history (25 years and 149 days).

Yildiz led the charge for this new-look Bianconeri outfit, becoming their youngest-ever Champions League scorer with his stunning strike from the corner of the box.

76 different players have scored a UEFA Champions League goal for Juventus, but Kenan Yildiz (19 years, 136 days old) becomes the first teenager to do so.#UCL pic.twitter.com/5pHYSZW3GL

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) September 17, 2024

At the age of 19 years and 136 days, he is also the youngest Turkish player to net in the competition.

Juventus also maintained their record of never losing their first Champions League game under a new coach (seven wins, three draws) – the best record of any club to have had 10 or more managers in the competition.