Juventus vs. Atletico Madrid: Score, Grades, Reaction from Champions League

Juventus secured passage to the UEFA Champions League latter stages on Tuesday night with a 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid at Juventus Stadium, but will have to make do with a second-seed berth.

The Bianconeri needed a victory by two goals or more to qualify in first place from Group A but didn't manage it; Carlos Tevez came the closest to breaking the deadlock, and Fernando Llorente struggled with the shackles of Diego Godin all night.

It leaves the Old Lady and Massimiliano Allegri the prospect of facing a group winner come February in the round of 16, but for now the club will celebrate reaching the latter stages. Atletico go through top of the group as expected, continuing to play in that same Diego Simeone way.

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

The match began in frantic fashion as Atletico Madrid entered the Juventus box inside 20 seconds, only for the ball to be hacked clear. Carlos Tevez then countered at pace down the right-hand side and won a free-kick that Andrea Pirlo drove into the wall.

Gianluigi Buffon was called into action to retain his side's slim chances of netting a two-goal advantage in the sixth minute, saving a shot by Koke at close range when the Spaniard really should have scored.

From there the Bianconeri settled into the match and dominated the ball, with Atleti dropped into a 4-4-2 shell and defending in compact fashion. Juve totalled 70 percent possession in the first 20 minutes, per WhoScored.com, but struggled to carve out any major chances.

The best looks came from the right, as the central zones were too clogged; Stephan Lichtsteiner was frequently freed up into space for a cross, but the titanic Diego Godin beat Fernando Llorente to almost every header.

One cross, from Paul Pogba, found its mark in the entirety of the first half. The Spaniard looped a header toward goal, but the claim was easy for Miguel Angel Moya.

The second half drew up more of the same in terms of frustration for Juve, as Atleti sank into an even deeper 4-4-2 with every player behind the ball. They continued to threaten on the counter—Gabi smacked the outside of the post from a set piece on a rare foray forward—and continued to stifle the home side in attack.

A loose ball ricocheted to Pogba who saw his shot blocked by Jose Maria Gimenez, then another long-distance strike by the Frenchman was spilt but then hacked clear by Godin.

By the 70th minute Juventus had completed 391 passes in comparison to Atleti's paltry 130, per Sky Sports' live TV statistics, effectively summarizing the pattern of the game.

For the final five minutes both sides accepted a draw—Atletico particularly happy to do so given their status as group leaders—and the Bianconeri simply knocked it across the back line until the final whistle sounded.

Grades

Player	Position	Rating
Gianluigi Buffon	GK	6
Stephan Lichtsteiner	RB	7
Leonardo Bonucci	CB	6
Giorgio Chiellini	CB	6
Patrice Evra	LB	6
Arturo Vidal	CM	6
Andrea Pirlo	CM	6
Paul Pogba	CM	7
Roberto Pereyra	AMC	6
Carlos Tevez	CF	6.5
Fernando Llorente	ST	6

Player	Position	Rating
Moya	GK	6
Juanfran	RB	7
Diego Godin	CB	9
Jose Maria Gimenez	CB	7
Guilherme Siqueira	LB	5
Koke	LM	6
Mario Suarez	CM	6
Gabi	CM	7
Arda Turan	RM	6.5
Raul Garcia	CF	6
Mario Mandzukic	ST	6

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