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USA's Weston McKennie Scores Stunning Goal for Juventus vs. Barcelona

Days after scoring his first goal for Juventus, Weston McKennie did it again–in spectacular fashion.

Avi Creditor

A Weston McKennie highlight stole the spotlight at the Messi-Ronaldo show.

The U.S. men's national team midfielder, days after becoming the first American to score for Juventus, did it again with a stunning finish at Camp Nou, giving Juve a 2–0 lead in the final Champions League group game for both sides.

McKennie worked a give-and-go with Juan Cuadrado, running into space inside the Barcelona box before delivering a gorgeous flying volley in the 20th minute. The goal came seven minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo had opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the much-anticipated showdown vs. his longtime individual rival, Lionel Messi.

McKennie started opposite U.S. fullback Sergiño Dest, in another intriguing individual matchup in the meeting between two sides who were already confirmed to go through to the knockout stage. McKennie's goal gave Juventus a chance to top the group though and go into next Monday's draw as one of the seeded sides.

"We have the same hair, we have the mental connection," McKennie deadpanned about Cuadrado's setup and his finish, which he called "special." It was the second Champions League goal of his career after having previously scored one for Schalke.

Ronaldo's second penalty kick of the day put Juventus in the driver's seat, with the 3-0 win enough to take the tiebreaker over Barcelona after Messi & Co. won the reverse fixture 2-0. Head-to-head is the first tiebreaker between two sides in the Champions League group stage.

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Avi Creditor
AVI CREDITOR

Avi Creditor is a senior editor and has covered soccer for more than a decade. He’s also a scrappy left back. 

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