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It was epitome conditions for Atletico Madrid to play and it was hell for Juventus players to manage in that incredible unrelenting atmosphere at Wanda Metropolitano for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Players quality did play a huge part in their 2-0 victory, but the crowd acted like a twelfth man to push their home players to another level and motivate them.
It was a pretty even-steven first half and both the sides had one or two moments which was not taken by their forwards. However, it totally became the vice versa when Atletico Madrid were so hungry to overcome Massimilano Allegri's side in the second part of the game.
Diego Costa missed a sitter in the opening seconds of the second half, followed by an excellent reaction save from Wojciech Szczesny to keep Antoine Griezmann in check to not allow Atletico to break the deadlock.
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Alvaro Morata came on and he thought that he made an instant impact when he scored a fabulous header from close range to give the lead, but the decision was overturned by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) which suggested a little push from the Spaniard on Giorgio Chiellini before he took a header.
The hosts hit through a set piece situation when Jose Maria Gimenez had to tap the ball in from range to give the lead in the 78th minute. The stadium was ever more buzzing when their skipper Diego Godin scored from a tight angle to double the lead just five minutes after taking the lead in the second half. They defended very well to see out the game at the end.
There were plenty of superior individual performances from Atletico Madrid's side. In this article, we shall look at five hits and flops from this fabulous encounter.
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#1 Hit - Diego Godin
Atletico Madrid's defence was just too good for Juventus' forwards who struggled to get on front foot from the start of the game. Diego Godin, in particular, was thriving at the back and was involved in plenty of defensive work at the back.
When Cristiano Ronaldo went past Jose Maria Gimenez, Diego Godin read the situation brilliantly to close down the Portuguese forward from nicking a goal in the second half. When Alex Sandro and the rest of the Old Lady were stowing in crosses through set pieces, Godin took in charge to clear everything which was put in his way.
On the other hand, the hosts were a severe threat from corners and free kicks. They made it count for the second time when Godin scored a goal from a tight angle to take a two-goal cushion to the Allianz Stadium. This display will go down as one of the best in Godin's exemplary Atletico's career.
#2 Flop - Mattia De Sciglio
Mattia De Sciglio's nerves played a huge part as the right-back struggled to settle into this game. The Italian International never looked assured and left plenty of space at the back which forced Leonardo Bonucci to do more spare work in the defensive department.
The 26-year-old dealt with Atletico Madrid's Koke during the first half, but he got exposed in the second half which totally exposed Juventus' defence. When Thomas Lemar came on, there was a fresh injection of pace for the hosts who took the utmost advantage to break on the counter-attack.
During Morata's disallowed goal, Di Sciglio decided to back off and invite the cross from Filipe Luis rather than trying to close the Brazilian down. He did not get involved in the attacking play and looked out of ideas. The plan to start De Sciglio over Joao Cancelo has backfired for Allegri.
#3 Hit - Jose Maria Gimenez
Like his compatriot Godin, Gimenez put in an excellent shift in the defensive part of the game and nicked a goal from a set piece. Even though he gave his side an advantage going into the second leg, the Uruguayan International will not be part of it because he received a yellow which will see him suspended at Allianz Stadium on March 12th.
The 24-year-old was given the job of keeping Cristiano Ronaldo quiet. The Atletico Madrid did that by coming out with flying colours. The Portuguese International dropped deep and drifted wide to combine with his teammates, but he was entirely fizzled out when many Diego Simeone's men surrounded him and never gave a chance to breathe in the final third.
Gimenez produced many timely tackles, interventions and won several duels to keep the Juventus forwards from scoring. Gimenez and Godin must share the Man of the match award.
#4 Flop - Rodrigo Bentancur
It was really tough to pick the second most flop form this game as the entire team did not respond to Atletico Madrid's questions. However, Rodrigo Bentancur takes this place because he gave away so many balls and lost many duels in the middle of the park.
The Uruguyuan International came up against Thomas Partey and Rodri, but it was the Atletico Madrid midfielders who won the duel with ease. The likes of Miralem Pjanic and Blaise Matuidi struggled to cope up with the pace of the game, but their passing was alright.
On the other hand, Bentancur looked shaky and without authority with his passing and did not win any duels in the battle between two superior midfield departments. When Emre Can came on in the second half, their midfield started to get exposed because Bentancur looked tired and his off the ball movements were not up to the maximum.
#5 Hit - Antoine Griezmann
Griezmann will be considering himself unlucky to not find the back of the net and register an assist in this game. The French International found Costa who ran 40 yards from the middle only to slice the ball wide.
A few minutes later, he combined well with Koke to play a one-two. Atletico Madrid' number 7 tried to loop the ball over Szczesny, but the Polish shot-stopper was aware of his doing and got a fingertip to divert it to the crossbar before Chiellini cleared the ball away in the second half.
Despite playing as a second striker, Griezmann made plenty of defensive work to ease the burden on Juanfran in the right flank. Besides, his intelligent passing and ability to beat players and pick out passes made him a danger man for the Old Lady. He was the brighter spot in Atletico Madrid's attack.
