Juventus 1-0 Atletico Madrid
If you’re connected to the “Old Lady” of Italian football, it was a moment of magic from an Argentine diamond – a stunning free-kick from an acute angle which will be played in any Champions League 2019 highlights reel.
If you were of a Los Rojiblancos persuasion, it was weak defending which allowed the decisive moment to occur.
Either way, Juventus have finished top of Group D with something to spare and will be one of the teams to avoid when the Champions League last 16 draw is made next month.
Highlights of the game
When these sides met in September, it was a thriller and a superb Atletico Madrid comeback in a thrilling second half.
Yet their last visit to Turin had been one of their most miserable nights under the reign of Diego Simeone.
A night in which their one-man nemesis single-handedly turned the tables and sent them crashing out of the competition in a virtuoso display.
In fact, this return visit was branded by the Spanish press as “redemption in hell.”
This wasn’t a night for them to fear, though.
Atlético had lost only once in their nine matches against Italian teams in the Champions League, keeping six clean sheets in the process, so had pedigree.
They also had Joao Felix back after a sprained ankle for his first start since mid-October as he partnered ex-Juventus striker Alvaro Morata.
In a match of few chances, the deadlock was broken on the stroke of half-time. Rodrigo Bentancur earned a free-kick on the outside edge of the box.
It seemed impossible to score from that angle but Paulo Dybala steered his free-kick into the far top corner to stun Jan Oblak and his defensive colleagues.
There were other moments of note.
Early in the second half, an Atletico corner was knocked down to Saul Niguez, who chested the ball down and produced a half-volley which was blocked by Wojciech Szczesny.
Then, Matthijs De Ligt made a decisive block as Felix ran in on goal with a great run down the middle before a perfectly executed sliding challenge denied Angel Correa after he had been sent clear by the club’s record signing.
The closest Juventus got to another goal was when Federico Bernardeschi struck the post. He cut inside and saw his shot bounce off the base of Oblak’s post moments after replacing Aaron Ramsey.
Of course, despite a quiet night by his own exalted standards, the star man was always a threat.
Cristiano Ronaldo received some rough treatment from a side who are one of his favourite opponents. He has 25 goals in 33 games against them – 12 goals in LaLiga with Real Madrid, seven in the Champions League and another six in the Copa del Rey, including four hat-tricks in the last decade.
Atletico started to increase the pressure as the game went on and will argue they deserved a point. They went close in stoppage time when Morata failed to connect with what would have been a close-range tap-in.
But the SBOBET Champions League 2019 betting odds suggested a home win and they were correct.
Atletico have work to do to qualify.
Key statistics
This was Juventus’ second victory in their six Champions League meetings with Atlético Madrid (won two, drawn two, lost two).
“The Old Lady” have won four consecutive home group games (all group formats) for the first time since October 2008 (12 wins).
This was Dybala’s 10th goal from a free-kick in all competitions with Juve – the first since March 2018 against Udinese.
Atlético have conceded in the last six games, equalling their worst streak defensively of the entire Simeone era.
Atlético have registered just three wins in their 11 encounters with Juventus in all competitions, with four of those five defeats coming in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and the other arriving in the Champions League last season.
Juventus have won 15 and lost one of their last 24 Champions League group games on home soil.
Atlético have won just two of their last 12 away Champions League matches.
Until tonight, Atlético hadn’t lost consecutive Champions League group stage matches since October 2009, when they were beaten by Porto and Chelsea under manager Abel Resino.
What’s next?
Juventus are back in action on home soil on Sunday (December 1) when they host Sassuolo, currently 14th in Serie A.
It’s a big one for Atletico. The visit of champions Barcelona and their former idol who broke their hearts and sparked a club row.
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