TURIN, Italy (AP) — Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli felt like crying after seeing his team’s remarkable Champions League fightback fall just short against Galatasaray on Wednesday.
Trailing 5-2 after the first leg, Juventus went 3-0 up in the return match — despite playing almost the entire second half with 10 men following Lloyd Kelly’s sending-off — to take the game to extra time.
Galatasaray scored twice in extra time to lose 3-2 on the night but win 7-5 on aggregate.
Juventus fans applauded their team after the match despite getting eliminated.
“It almost makes me want to cry for how much we believed,” Locatelli said. “I think we gave our heart — and more.”
“These are the kinds of matches," he added, “that stay with you.”
Juventus defender Federico Gatti, who scored the team’s second goal, felt the qualification was thrown away last week.
“It’s frustrating because we reached extra time a bit drained,” he said. “We had really put the game back on track, but I’ll say it again — we let it slip in the first leg. A tie like this simply can’t end that way.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Galatasaray's Baris Yilmaz (53) celebrates after scoring their second goal during extra time in a Champions League soccer match between Juventus and Galatasaray, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Turin, Italy (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus player react after Galatasaray's Baris Yilmaz their second goal during extra time in a Champions League soccer match between Juventus and Galatasaray, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Turin, Italy (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' Vasilije Adzic reacts during a Champions League soccer match between Juventus and Galatasaray, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Turin, Italy (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.
Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.
Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.
Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.
Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.
Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."
Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.
Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."
Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”
Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.
The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.
Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
