Share

Juve joins Atletico in last 16

Turin - Juventus have secured their ticket for the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in two years after dominating a listless Atletico Madrid in an entertaining scoreless draw in Turin on Tuesday.

While the Spaniards already qualified thanks to the four-match winning run that followed their opening day defeat to Olympiakos, Juventus required just a point to qualify for the knockout phase.

Coach Massimiliano Allegri had underlined his side's intention to go for a win with a two-goal margin that would allow the Turin giants to snatch top spot from Diego Simeone's reigning Spanish champions.

But despite dominating in all departments, the Italians failed to convert chances into goals.

The draw means Atletico finish top of Group A on 13 points, with Juventus second on 10 and Olympiakos, who beat Malmo 4-2, finishing third on nine to drop into the Europa League.

Juventus suffered a minor blow before kick-off when Claudio Marchisio was ruled out with a bout of flu and replaced by Roberto Pereyra, which forced Arturo Vidal back to the right side of midfield.

But the late change did not upset Juve's plans.

Atletico were restricted to only one real chance on goal in the opening half and Juventus were allowed to move the ball around with surprising ease.

After Andrea Pirlo had driven an early free-kick into the defensive wall, a poor headed clearance by Leonardo Bonucci set Atletico up for one of their few real chances of the game.

Although the defender tried to rectify his error, the ball was fed to Koke to fire a low angled shot that forced goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon down low to block.

Barely a minute later, Paul Pogba's floated cross in from the left just missed Fernando Llorente as the Spaniard hovered in front of Miguel Moya's left post hoping to deflect.

Vidal earned a yellow card before the half-hour when he pulled down Raul Garcia, leading directly to another half-chance for Atletico as Jose Maria Gimenez sent a looping header towards goal which Buffon had to tip over.

Mario Suarez was then shown a yellow card moments later when he tugged at Carlos Tevez's right shoulder, and the subsequent free-kick by Piro from 30 metres flashed over the crossbar.

With Atletico apparently set on defending top spot, Juventus found momentum.

Good build-up on the left allowed Pogba to deliver a delightful ball for Llorente with the outside of his right boot but the Spaniard's looping header was collected by Moya.

A defeat would have proved disastrous for Juve and Atletico, at times, were a threat. Buffon was forced into a two-handed parry two minutes before half-time after Pogba lost control and the ball found its way to Suarez on the edge of the area.

It took Juve almost 10 minutes to fashion any kind of chance after the restart, but from 10 metres out on the left Pogba's shot was blocked after a move featuring a back-heel from Tevez.

Another great build-up saw Pereyra cross inside for Tevez but after the Argentinian's short pass to Vidal the Chilean's angled shot lacked power and was easily parried by Moya.

Juve continued to keep Atletico pegged in their own half for much of the remainder of the second half, but apart from two long-range efforts from Pogba the hosts failed to break the deadlock.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1271 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1469 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2240 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE