Juventus’ dream of lifting the Champions League for the first time since 1996 suffered a huge setback at Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday night.
Cristiano Ronaldo – the man scripted to steer the Bianconeri to European glory – endured a difficult night against familiar foes as Atletico Madrid won the first leg of the last-16 tie with their Italian counterparts.
Antoine Griezmann hit the woodwork while Alvaro Morata was denied a goal by VAR,, before Jose Gimenez broke the deadlock from a corner in the 78th minute.
Diego Godin then doubled the advantage five minutes later to secure a fine 2-0 victory ahead of the return in Turin on March 12.
THE GOOD
Atletico – Ronaldo kept quiet
This is his stage and presumably the whole reason behind Juventus’ big-money swoop for him in the summer. Ronaldo didn’t exactly play poorly, in fact, some of his touches and passes were rather good.
But that’s not why he’s on the pitch. Atletico restricted him to just two touches inside the box in the first half.
Juanfran did a fine job of thwarting the five-time Champions League winner every time he encroached upon his territory. On one occasion Ronaldo did superbly to storm past Jose Gimenez but Diego Godin was on hand, studiously sweeping up behind his centre-back partner.
100% - Cristiano Ronaldo was the only player with a 100% passing accuracy in the first half of Atletico de Madrid vs Juventus (22/22), but he made only two touches in the opposite box. Vigilance. pic.twitter.com/Y6DfU9MDXA
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) February 20, 2019
THE BAD
Juventus – Defensive errors
It’s the last thing you’d associate this Juventus side with but they weren’t the best defence on the pitch this time. Prior to the game, only Atletico (6) had conceded fewer shots on target from inside the box than Juventus (9) in this Champions League campaign, so they met their match.
Giorgio Chiellini was guilty when his header on the halfway line was all wrong and led to Costa’s one-on-one with Wojciech Szczesny – the second time the Atleti striker was allowed to run in behind. Some poor work in their defensive third then saw Griezmann strike the woodwork.
Chiellini was also fortunate when VAR ruled out Alvaro Morata’s header for a slight push on the centre-back. For a team that prides themselves on their defensive attributes, they were particularly poor from set-pieces.
They struggled to win their aerial duels for the first ball and then failed to clear their lines. Both Gimenez and Godin took full advantage.
KEY MOMENTS
Ninth min – FREE-KICK: Ronaldo’s 30-yard effort is hit well and produces a fine save from Oblak.
13th min – HEADER: Bonucci to meet a corner, but can only send his free header over.
27th min – PENALTY OVERTURNED: Costa bursts past De Sciglio and goes down with a slight tug from the defender. The referee initially points to the spot before VAR deems it as a foul just outside the box.
29th min – FREE-KICK: Griezmann shows great technique with a strike that tries to catch Szczesny out at his near post but the keeper pushes it wide.
52nd min – CHANCE: Chiellini’s poor header sees Griezmann play Costa through on goal. The striker fends off Bonucci, but puts his finish well wide.
54th min – WOODWORK: Griezmann attempts to lob a bouncing ball over Szczesny, but the keeper gets a slight touch to help it onto the crossbar before Chiellini clears.
72nd min – GOAL DISALLOWED: Morata’s header is ruled out for a push on Chiellini.
78th min – GOAL: Morata’s header from a corner eventually falls to Gimenez to sweep the loose ball home.
83rd min – GOAL: This time it’s Godin who latches onto a loose ball following a free-kick and drills in a second.
TACTICAL TALKING POINT
An added threat on the break
This is where Diego Simeone’s faith in Griezmann’s tactical intelligence and work-rate comes to the fore. Atletico were clearly getting some joy in the transition, so the Argentine chose to replace Costa with the quicker Morata, introduce Thomas Lemar for Thomas Partey and Angel Correa for Koke.
Retaining their 4-4-2 shape, it was Griezmann who shifted to the right flank with Correa joining Morata up front. The Frenchman did well to keep an eye on Alex Sandro’s runs while also quickly pushing up in possession as the team’s shape morphed into a 4-3-3. As a result, the hosts had three forwards breaking swiftly in the transition.
GRADES
Atletico – A: Played as a solid unit and limited Juventus in attack. They were positive in the second half and reaped the rewards. Great desire and work ethic.
Juventus – C: Probably shaded the opening 45, but faded in the second period. Were overrun in midfield and the defence made some uncharacteristic mistakes.
