Juventus 3-0 (3-2 on agg.) Atletico Madrid
Max Allegri’s Juventus overturned a two-goal deficit tonight to beat Atletico Madrid and advance into the last eight of the 2019 Champions League.
And it was yet another world-class showing from Cristiano Ronaldo, scoring all three goals to give the Bianconeri an unexpected passage through to the quarter-finals. Two late goals in Madrid put Atletico very much in charge of this tie, and many expected them to protect that lead with a legendary rearguard. But when Ronaldo bagged his first of the night just before the half-hour, the Black-and-White wave was relentless.
So Allegri’s two-time Champions League winners qualified at SBOBET odds of 3.50, but Diego Simeone’s men will feel it a great chance lost as they began the night at odds of 1.30 to progress. And with some shock Champions League 2019 results coming in last week, not least the exit of reigning champions Real Madrid, this win has put Juventus right in the frame as a good bet to make another final.
Highlights of the game
The big question at the start of the night was whether Juventus had the firepower to break down the best defence in Europe, and it looked like they had as early as the fourth minute of the game. The home fans celebrated wildly when Giorgio Chiellini poked the ball home after a skirmish in the box. But following an agonising VAR wait, the goal was ruled out; Ronaldo was adjudged to have kicked the ball out of Jan Oblak’s hands.
Atleti struggled to get into the game but gradually found their feet, and Antoine Griezmann brought a decent save out Wojciech Szczesny with a long-range dipping shot. But minutes later, the tie was blown wide open when that man Ronaldo put the hosts ahead. Federico Bernadeschi launched a ball into the box, and the Portuguese hitman beat Juanfran in the air to nod the ball past Oblak and into the net. It was only the second goal Ronnie had scored in ten Champions League games, and it was one to lift the roof off the Juventus Stadium.
And if that got the Turin crowd rocking, you could have heard the roar for miles around when Juventus drew the tie level just three minutes into the second half. Joao Cancelo crossed, and Ronaldo met it with a bullet header. It looked like Oblak had made a breathtaking save to keep it out, but technology helped the Bianconeri this time, showing the ball had just crossed the line by a fraction.
Fine margins, indeed, and now the Old Lady could smell blood.
Mario Mandzukic had a great chance to make it three, on 74 minutes, when Paulo Dybala crossed to him at the far post, but he fumbled the ball wide. But as the game seemed to be heading for extra time, the late drama unfolded.
Bernadeschi drove into the penalty area, and the outcome was inevitable when he received a push in the back right in front of the referee. He pointed to the spot and up stepped Ronaldo to send Oblak the wrong way and the crowd into delirium.
What a player…what a match…what a night!
Key statistics
Ronaldo’s opener was only his second Champions League goal in ten games, but it was his 62nd in 78 Champions League knockout games. He now has 25 goals in 33 appearances against Atletico Madrid. They must be sick of the sight of him and still can’t shake him off, even after he left La Liga!
But don’t underestimate the magnitude of this win, and the manner of it. Atletico Madrid came into the game on a five-match winning run, a sequence in which they hadn’t conceded a single goal, but Ronaldo blew them away.
And it was the first time Juventus had beaten Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
What’s next?
With some big guns already out of the competition, the Champions League 2019 betting odds on the Bianconeri are dropping all the time.
In the meantime, it’s back to domestic matters; Juventus can continue their inevitable march to another Scudetto, already 19 points clear of Napoli in second, with a Sunday visit to Genoa.
Meanwhile, Simeone takes his team to Bilbao to face Athletic Club. Atleti haven’t given up hope of chasing down Barca at the top of La Liga, matching the Catalans win for win over the last four games but still seven points adrift. The Bilbao side is neither in relegation trouble nor with any hope of European football, sitting in 12th but with only one defeat in five league games.
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