Juventus 3-0 Atletico Madrid: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis

1: Cristiano Ronaldo, you beauty!

You knew it would be him, didn't you?

There’s something about great players that make someone not even an ardent fan admire them wholeheartedly. Cristiano Ronaldo in Champions League is one such beasts.

When the stake was high, the Portuguese ace stepped up yet again and completed the task with aplomb; another hat-trick in an all-important European clash. Atletico Madrid arguably possess the best defensive unit in Europe but when you have an ambitious gem like Ronaldo operating in front of you, there is nothing much that a team can do to prevent the inevitable.

The first goal came courtesy a bullet header as he leaped over Godin to put the ball at the back of the net. There was a minimal celebration after that, as Ronaldo looked intent on closing down the lead in the first half itself. Though that was not possible, he did so within five minutes of the second half.

Two headed goals later, Cristiano continued to trouble the opposition with his trickery, some smart runs into the box and couple of good deliveries from lateral areas into the box too.

Finally, as the game looked set to go into extra-time, Juventus earned a spot-kick. Obviously, Ronaldo stepped up to take the decisive kick and coolly sent Oblak the wrong way, whilst guiding his team to the next stage of the competition in his trademark style.

There was a peculiar aura surrounding him before the match. Some questions were raised whether he could continue to demonstrate his goal-scoring prowess in an important match like this one after having scored just twice in seven matches of this season’s Champions League.

However, Ronaldo yet again showed why his caliber at the highest stage should never be questioned; as he has the tendency to single-handedly win the most important of matches for his team even now.

He is really the greatest Champions League player of all time, isn’t he?