Wesley Sneijder and Galatasary dump Juventus out of Champions League

Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder sent Juventus crashing out of the Champions League today in controversial circumstances.

The Serie A side lost 1-0 today to Sneijder's Galatasary at an icy Turk Telecom Arena after the match had been abandoned on Tuesday night due to snowy conditions.

The former Inter Milan and Real Madrid star struck with just five minutes to go in the shortened match to secure a shock triumph for Roberto Mancini’s side,with both sides struggling to adapt to the condition of the pitch.

A draw would have been enough to send Antonio Conte’s men through to the Last 16 knockout stage for a second successive year, but Sneijder’s goal ensured the Italians would be playing in the Europa League for the remainder of the season.

The clash kicked off on Tuesday evening vying for the final qualifying spot in Group B after Real Madrid had already sealed their place as group winners.

However, heavy snow and a hailstorm followed shortly after the game had kicked off, with referee Pedro Proenca eventually deciding to abandon the tie. The decision was taken to play the remaining 56 minutes of the match on Wednesday with a 1pm kick-off scheduled.

Any hope that the storm would pass was quashed when snow continued overnight and continued throughout the game, and with so much at stake, it was thought that the game could be postponed again.

Staff from the Turkish club had been busy clearing the snow but damaged the pitch as a result of the use of snow ploughs. The condition of the pitch had worsened as a result and players found it difficult to play the ball on the ground.