Atletico Madrid player ratings and analysis: Alvaro Morata impresses on tough night for Juventus and Ronaldo

Can Ronaldo inspire Juventus to a famous comeback?
AP
Ben Hayward20 February 2019

Atletico Madrid kept Cristiano Ronaldo in check as they defeated Juventus 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League's last-16 tie.

Defenders Jose Maria Gimenez and Diego Godin scored late goals to give Atletico the win in a game in which the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) played a key role, with two big calls going against the hosts.

Ronaldo, jeered nearly every time he touched the ball, had a quiet performance in his first match in the Spanish capital since leaving Real Madrid last summer. He came close to scoring with a booming shot from a free kick less than 10 minutes into the match, but had few opportunities after that.

Heavily marked from the start, Ronaldo wasn't able to add to his good record against the old rival, which he helped eliminate in four straight seasons in the Champions League while playing for Real Madrid.

Ben Hayward assesses the key talking points...

In Pictures | Atletico Madrid vs Juventus | 20/02/2019

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Atletico still on course for ‘their’ final

Player ratings

How did Atletico fare vs Juve?


Oblak: 8

Filipe Luis: 7

Godin: 8

Gimenez: 8

Juanfran: 7

Koke: 7

Rodri: 7

Thomas: 6

Saul: 7

Costa: 8

Griezmann: 7

Subs

Morata: 8

Lemar: 6

Correa: 7

All the epitaphs had seemingly been written after Atletico tamely lost the Madrid derby to Real in a 3-1 defeat 10 days ago, but the Champions League is an obsession for the Rojiblancos this season and if any competition was to see them produce their brilliant best, it was this one.

The Champions League is the only trophy on offer that Diego Simeone has not won in his time as Atletico coach, with two finals lost to Real Madrid in 2013-14 and 2015-16.

Those defeats still hurt and this club still has no European Cup to its name, having also lost a final to Bayern Munich in 1973-74.

This year, the final takes place at Atleti’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium and with this impressive win over Juventus, Simeone’s side showed they can be serious challengers for the trophy in June.

Costa will be missed in Turin, but Morata is coming good

AFP/Getty Images

Atletico had a number of players at risk of suspension for the second leg and two of those, Thomas Partey and Diego Costa, picked up bookings which will see them miss the return in Turin next month. The loss of the Spain striker will be particularly frustrating for Simeone.

Costa was back to his beast-like best against Juventus and although he squandered a wonderful chance as he inexplicably shot wide on a counter-attack in the second half, he was a handful for the Italian side all night.

Curiously, both Atleti’s goals arrived when he had left the pitch, but he played a significant role in this win and he will be badly missed in the second match.

He was replaced by Alvaro Morata and the 26-year-old impressed against his former club Juve, netting a header which was ruled out by VAR for a push on Giorgio Chiellini and seemed harsh.

AP

The Spaniard still has not netted officially for Atleti, having also had a strike disallowed in the Madrid derby, but he was bright late in the game as Atletico dominated and will relish the chance of seeing out the tie in Turin.

Miserable night for Ronaldo

REUTERS

Cristiano Ronaldo was booed, whistled and jeered all evening by the Atletico Madrid fans.

An old foe from his time at Real Madrid, the Portuguese also had to put up with some unpleasant chants at the Wanda Metropolitano, one of which called for him to pay his taxes while another, much more obscene, made reference to his current legal case in the United States.

The 34-year-old held five fingers up, alluding to his five Champions League wins (two of which came at Atleti’s expense in the final) to the home fans, but it was a miserable night in the end for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who saw a first-half free-kick saved by Jan Oblak and a late header sail over the crossbar.

AFP/Getty Images

The Portuguese also had his boot stamped on by Juanfran in an action the referee failed to spot and to compound a night to forget, he deflected Diego Godin’s shot into his own net.

It was anything but a happy return to Madrid for the Juventus forward and having been bought to lead the Italians to European glory, he is now on the brink of a second-round exit.

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