Atletico Madrid vs. Juventus: Score, Grades and Post-Match Reaction
Atletico Madrid earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Juventus during Wednesday's UEFA Champions League fixture, with Arda Turan scoring the only goal of the match in the second half.
The visitors took control of the ball early while Atletico were comfortable defending the box and luring on the counter, and as a result, chances were few and far between. Leonardo Bonucci was booked for using his elbow against Mario Mandzukic, as the Croatia international was closely marked by the Italians.
The first real chance was for the hosts, when Turan pulled the ball back for Mandzukic, who tried a back-heel from close range. The ball was blocked by Arturo Vidal and Gianluigi Buffon, although the ball appeared to hit the Chilean on the arm, as shared by AS English's Nicholas Rigg:
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The action was involuntary, however, and from close range, Vidal had no chance to pull his arm back. No penalty was given.
Juventus continued to dominate possession, as evidenced by this tweet from the club after 30 minutes:
Mandzukic pounced on a spill from Vidal and blasted a shot on goal from the edge of the box, but Buffon read it well and made a good save. Paul Pogba had a nice effort on goal from the edge of the box, curling his effort just wide.
There was a scary moment when Turan stayed down on the pitch after a duel with Stephan Lichtsteiner with an apparent head injury. The Turk made a strong tackle on Lichtsteiner, who fell down awkwardly on top of his head. Fortunately, Turan was able to continue after receiving treatment.
Atletico controlled the final minutes of the first half but couldn't find their way past Juve's defence, as the teams went into half-time scoreless.
The same pattern repeated early in the second half—Juventus kept possession around Atletico's box but were clearly missing Andrea Pirlo's incisive passing, while the Spanish side displayed patience and aimed for the counter-attack.
Atletico had another penalty shout when a fast cross was deflected onto Martin Caceres' arm and nearly disappeared into the goal, but Buffon reacted quickly and kicked it off his line. Caceres had no time to react to the deflection, and the penalty was once again not given.
Football Italia were confused by the sequence:
Atletico now took control of possession, and Antoine Griezmann (who was introduced at half-time) added some spark and pace to the Spanish side's attack.
Turan finally broke the deadlock with 15 minutes left on the clock, the first goal Juventus conceded all season. Juanfran's cross missed Mandzukic but fell all the way to the Turk, who slotted home from close range.
Juventus now upped the pace and Raul Garcia nearly put the ball in his own goal, finding the outside of the post after making contact with Lichtsteiner's cross.
The Italian champions launched a toothless final offensive, and Atletico comfortably held on to win the match.
Grades
Gianluigi Buffon: B
Juventus looked out of sorts and lost for ideas in possession, and their top player was undoubtedly Buffon, who continues to defy his age. The Italy No. 1 could do nothing about Turan's effort and was otherwise flawless.
Koke: B+
Pulling the strings in midfield, Koke showed everyone his reputation for underperforming in the biggest matches is unfounded. A nuisance for Pogba and Claudio Marchisio throughout the match, the midfielder served as the Atleti's main creative outlet as well.
Arda Turan: B+
Turan's contributions might not always be pretty, but his tireless work rate is of vital importance for his squad. Disturbing Juve's buildup play by pressing high and scoring the pivotal goal, Turan was the clear man of the match.
Post-Match Reaction
Giorgio Chiellini told Mediaset (h/t to Football Italia) he believed Juventus deserved at least a point:
"We played our game, we knew it would be like this and we did it well.
It’s a shame, as the game should’ve ended at least 0-0 and we wanted to make the most of any gap we found.
We leave here with regrets, as we deserved at least a point here.
We knew the group would be very balanced, now in three weeks we have an important trip to Athens that will say a lot about what we can do in this group.
"
Post-Match Outlook
The hosts were desperate for a strong result after their loss to Olympiacos on Matchday 1, and a win over Juventus will do nicely. Their Champions League campaign is now back on track, and with Malmo next on the schedule, last year's finalists' chances of making the next round are looking good.
The same can be said for the Bianconeri, who will receive a boost by the return of Pirlo. Losing at the Vicente Calderon is no disgrace, and the doubleheader with Olympiacos will likely decide which team joins Atletico in the knockout stages.
