Atletico Madrid were dumped out of the Champions League as a Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Juventus roared into the quarter-finals.
The visitors might have hoped for a quiet night in Turin but a feverous home crowd were up for this game and they rose the roof when Ronaldo capitalised on early pressure to power the hosts ahead with a towering header midway through the first half. Another header made it 2-0 – Jan Oblak looked to have made a stunning one-handed save but goal-line technology ruled it had crossed.
Ronaldo’s hat-trick – his third a penalty after substitute Angel Correa stupidly felled Federico Bernardeschi – saw their 2-0 first-leg advantage eroded as Diego Simeone’s gutless approach contributed to a meek exit.
Here’s how we rated Los Rojiblancos’ players:
ATLETICO MADRID (4-4-2)
Jan Oblak – 7: Lucky to win a foul as Juve’s early goal was ruled out? Perhaps. Seemed he’d made a stunning save from Ronaldo.
Santiago Arias – 5: A busy night patrolling right flank and keeping tabs on marauding Spinazzola and Matuidi. Struggled to do so.
Jose Gimenez – 5: Made only two passes in first half. Team leading 10 clearances. Impetuous at times.
Diego Godin – 6: Important early block, kept a cool head in an early white-hot environment, but couldn’t shackle Ronaldo.
Juanfran – 4: Dominated by Ronaldo – no shame in that – for the opening goal. Looked every one of his 34 years thereafter.
Koke – 6: Grew into the game after Juve smothered him and Saul in the opening 45. But not his best night. Five tackles, three clearances showed his appetite.
Saul Niguez – 5: Like midfield partner, simply outshone by relentless Juventus press. Insipid.
⏱ 95' | 3-0 | The match ends at the Allianz Stadium.#UCL #JuveAtleti pic.twitter.com/TqD253ukLD
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) 12 March 2019
Rodrigo – 5: Worked tirelessly in the midfield, making four clearances, but simply overawed, as were many team-mates.
Thomas Lemar – 2: Brought into the team and was quickly back on the bench after an anonymous outing.
Antoine Griezmann – 3: Knew he’d be in for a lonesome night up front. Got involved defensively. Horribly isolated.
Alvaro Morata – 4: Missed a golden chance to equalise on the night against his old side when he headed over. Biggest contribution was spat with Chiellini.
SUBS:
Angel Correa – 2: Push for penalty was soft but such a reckless thing to do in the box. Absolutely no need. Crazy.
Vitolo N/A: Brought on to supply Morata but simply couldn’t get involved. A grand contribution of 10 touches.
