Juventus were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Villarreal in their Champions League group stage clash on Wednesday night.

Francisco Conceição came off the bench to inspire a second-half turnaround, but the Bianconeri’s hard work was undone by a last-minute equaliser from former loanee Renato Veiga.

Georges Mikautadze gave Villarreal the lead in the first half, before Federico Gatti equalised with a stunning bicycle kick.

Conceição then scored what looked to be the winner after the break, but Juve’s hopes of all three points were crushed when Veiga struck in the 90th minute.

Juventus Player Ratings

Perin – 6: Solid enough, though beaten twice and struggled with crosses late on.

Kalulu – 5.5: Had difficulty dealing with Villarreal’s wide play.

Gatti – 7: Strong at the back and produced a spectacular bicycle-kick goal.

Kelly – 6: Reliable but not outstanding.

Cambiaso – 5: Poor defensively before being replaced. (Rugani – n/a)

McKennie – 5.5: Worked hard but lacked influence.

Locatelli – 6.5: Grew into the game, provided stability in midfield.

Cabal – 4.5: Nightmare evening. Booked early, beaten for pace repeatedly, and forced off with injury. (J. Mario – 6)

Koopmeiners – 4.5: Anonymous, hooked at half-time. (Conceição – 7.5)

Yildiz – 6.5: Flashes of quality but lacked finishing touch. (Adžić – n/a)

David – 5: Wasteful in front of goal. (Vlahović – n/a)

Best Juventus player: Francisco Conceição (7.5) – Completely changed the game after coming on. Scored Juve’s second, set up the throw-in for Gatti’s goal, and should have had an assist but for David’s miss.

Worst Juventus players: Juan Cabal & Teun Koopmeiners (4.5) – Both endured nights to forget. Cabal was exposed by Nicolás Pépé’s pace and left early with an injury, while Koopmeiners made little impact before being withdrawn.

Coach: Igor Tudor – 6
Juventus looked sharper after the break, thanks to Conceição’s introduction, but the late equaliser from a corner left the coach furious.

Villarreal Player Ratings

Tenas – 6

Mouriño – 6

Veiga – 7 (90th-minute equaliser)

Marín – 5

Pedraza – 6.5

Gueye – 6.5

Parejo – 5.5

Comesaña – 6

Pepe – 7

Mikautadze – 7 (scored opener)

Buchanan – 6

It was an entertaining and end-to-end contest in Spain, with both sides leaving with a point. Juventus will feel frustrated after letting victory slip away so late, while Villarreal showed resilience to fight until the very end.

The draw leaves both teams with plenty of work to do in the Champions League league phase, but Juventus will take encouragement from Conceição’s impact and Gatti’s spectacular strike.