PSV Eindhoven vs. Atletico Madrid: Winners and Losers from Champions League
PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid played to a yawn-inducing 0-0 draw at the Philips Stadion on Wednesday night, leaving their round-of-16 Champions League tie finely poised after one leg.
Atletico missed the two biggest chances of the game in the first half, with Luciano Vietto and Antoine Griezmann both failing to beat Jeroen Zoet after being released one-on-one, and PSV hung on for a clean sheet despite being reduced to 10 men in the second half.
Here, Bleacher Report picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Jeroen Zoet, PSV Eindhoven
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The big winner from this match was Jeroen Zoet, who came up with two game-defining actions in the first half.
He saved two one-on-one chances as Atletico Madrid exploited the space in behind PSV Eindhoven’s back line. He first did enough to put Luciano Vietto off and then got a paw on Antoine Griezmann’s goal-bound effort.
Aside from those highlight-reel moments, he claimed every aerial ball into his box with ease and provided a calming presence to his line.
Loser: Gaston Pereiro, PSV Eindhoven
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This was a big evening for Gaston Pereiro; with PSV Eindhoven’s first-choice striker Luuk de Jong suspended, it was Pereiro's chance to impress in front of the watching world.
Unfortunately, he was dismissed in the 68th minute after receiving his second yellow card. He committed a number of niggly fouls, which, by accumulation, led to the red, with the referee giving him a final warning a few minutes before he barged into Diego Godin in an aerial challenge.
De Jong was always likely to come back into the XI for the second leg unless Pereiro made an impact, but this wasn’t the sort that coach Phillip Cocu will have meant!
Winner: Filipe Luis, Atletico Madrid
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“We have tried, we have run and fought, but it couldn't be. They did a great defensive job. We will try to play a great match at home [in the second leg] and advance with all our might,” Filipe Luis said of the game, per Atletico Madrid’s official Twitter account.
Those words certainly apply to his own performance; he put in a solid all-round showing on Wednesday evening, helping defend and attack—as usual—in equal measures. Whereas some of his midfield colleagues looked quite lethargic, Luis did his best to impact the flow of the game however possible.
He carried the ball forward well, defended his flank immaculately and created a good chance for Angel Correa late on.
Loser: Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid
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Antoine Griezmann’s form of late has been a little iffy, and Wednesday saw him deliver another anonymous performance. He just wasn’t involved anywhere near as much as you’d want.
Atletico Madrid struggled to get the ball to him often, and his big chance—a one-on-one in the first half following a good Koke pass—was saved by Jeroen Zoet. Overall, his link play was lacking, and he struggled to find space to play in.
Winner: Jeffrey Bruma, PSV Eindhoven
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While Atletico Madrid looked far from their best in the final third, they still managed to carve out three or four big chances. When Jeroen Zoet wasn’t performing heroics to keep his sheet clean, it was Jeffrey Bruma doing the business in his place.
A colossus in the defensive line, he blocked shot after shot as Atletico searched in vain for a way through to goal. He also sprinted back to clear Luciano Vietto’s one-on-one effort off the line early on.
