66 min: Chiellini, quarterbacking from deep, rakes a pass down the inside-left channel. Ronaldo, racing into the box, is inches away from taking it down and shooting. Not quite.
64 min: Bernardeschi catches Arias in the face with his fingers. It looked accidental, but that’s the first booking of the evening.
62 min: Correa works his way down the inside-right channel and tries to send a heatseeker into the top right from 25 yards. It’s overly ambitious, though you can see the logic: an away goal, out of nothing, would change the atmosphere in a second.
60 min: The Juventus Stadium is on a rolling boil. Two-pass moves are suddenly at a premium. Atletico will be happier at the sudden chaos, because Juve were beginning to build up a head of steam.
58 min: Ronaldo blooters the free kick straight into the wall. Atletico look to break up the other end. The ball’s loose in the midfield. Matuidi’s attempted hoick back upfield hits Correa on the arm. Correa tears clear, then is caught and crunched by Cancelo. Atletico want the foul; Juve get it for the earlier handball. Atletico are none too happy, the match suddenly threatening to boil over. The ref does well to calm everyone down.
57 min: Chiellini slips a pass down the left for Ronaldo, who is immediately clipped to the ground by Gimenez, a little to the left of the D. Free kick. Ronaldo fancies this.
56 min: Atletico can’t string more than a couple of passes together. The collective noggin’s gone. Something has to change, so Lemar is replaced by Correa.
54 min: Atletico are hanging on by their fingernails. They can hardly get out of their own box. Can crosses from the right. Bernardeschi sends a weak header wide left from close range. Right now, a third Juve goal seems just a matter of time.
52 min: Spinazzola dribbles down the left and sends yet another cross towards the far post. Bernardeschi can’t quite get on the end of it. Juve look in the mood.
50 min: The atmosphere in the stadium is now off the scale. As things stand, we’ll be going to extra time and maybe penalties. But Juve have plenty of time to look for the third goal that’d see them through. Atletico could really curdle the atmosphere with an away goal, of course, but they don’t look likely to score one at the moment. They’ve been very passive all evening. By way of further illustration, Griezmann has another run, this time down the right … but again there’s nobody up with him.
GOAL! Juventus 2-0 Atletico Madrid (Ronaldo 48); agg 2-2
Bernardeschi crosses from the right. Ronaldo rises highest, and plants a header towards the top left. It looks as though Oblak has clawed it out and away, but after a pause the referee points at his watch. It’s buzzed, and the ball’s crossed the line! Only just, but a couple of millimetres is more than enough! Juve have levelled up the tie!
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47 min: Griezmann heads off down the left. Juve are a little light at the back, but there’s nobody up in support of the Atletico striker, and he’s forced to turn tail. Juve win the ball, go up the other end, and …
And we’re off again! Atletico get the second half underway, and give up possession in short order. Juve are immediately on the front foot. Ronaldo bursts into space down the right and sails a cross towards Mandzukic, who prepares to nut home from six yards. But Gimenez does extremely well to eyebrow away from danger.
HALF TIME: Juventus 1-0 Atletico Madrid (agg: 1-2)
Just enough time for Atletico to threaten Juve’s goal, Morata getting on the end of Koke’s right-wing cross and heading over from eight yards. And that’s the end of a whirlwind first half. After which … well, this is poised rather nicely, isn’t it?
45 min: Bernardeschi’s shot from distance is deflected over. From the corner on the right, Chiellini sends a powerful diving header towards the top left. Oblak tips over, a sensational reaction save. Chiellini’s taken an accidental whack in the face for his trouble. Blood everywhere. But the big man’s good to continue. Nothing comes of the next corner.
43 min: Spinazzola hoicks another fine cross into the mixer from a tight spot on the left. Ronaldo rises at the far post but flashes his header wide right. By his lofty standards, that was a good chance, and a poor miss.
42 min: Bernardeschi spins down the inside-left channel and very nearly releases Mandzukic into the box with a cute pass forward. Not quite. Bernardeschi has been very lively tonight.
40 min: Atletico needed a breather, and they get it, with a little period of possession behind Juve lines. They don’t really threaten to open up the hosts, but that’s not really the point. And they’re irritating the home fans, who respond to their rare sortie upfield with a cacophony of whistles.
38 min: Morata rises off the back of Pjanic, and that’s a free kick for Juve out on the right. Pjanic takes and loops long. Ronaldo probes down the left, but can’t beat his first man with the cross. Atletico continue to bend but not buckle. But they can’t continue like this, surely.
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36 min: On the touchline, Diego Simeone is beginning to look slightly concerned. Ponderous. His team have been second best so far, their defence tested to the limit.
34 min: This has been a wonderful match so far, with Juve really going for it. Their fans are making plenty of noise. And the roof would have come off the stadium had this one gone in. Ronaldo flies down the left and slips a pass inside for Spinazzola, who – yes – elegantly spins 180 degrees and flicks a cross towards Bernardeschi. And somebody’s been studying Ronaldo in training, because Bernardeschi attempts to whip a bicycle kick into the top right! It’s not far off. Just over. That would have been some goal!
32 min: But it’s Bernardeschi who steps up and takes it. His effort is decent, whipped over the wall and back down towards the top right … but it just clears the bar.
31 min: Bernardeschi makes his way down the inside-right channel and is clipped to the floor by Rodri, 25 yards out. This is a free kick in Ronaldo territory.
30 min: A free kick for Atletico out on the left. Griezmann wafts it into a packed Juve box, but it hangs harmlessly in the air and that’s easy pickings for Szczesny.
29 min: Juve’s penalty claim was for handball, Godin having climbed onto his own man Arias and headed down onto his team-mate’s arm. It was never a penalty … and then Chiellini half-wrestled Godin to the ground. But the ref said that wasn’t a foul either. At which point Juve came again, and got the reward they deserve for their strong start to this match.
GOAL! Juventus 1-0 Atletico Madrid (Ronaldo 27); agg 1-2
Juve come straight back at Atletico. Bernardeschi makes good down the inside-left channel and curls a glorious cross towards Ronaldo at the far post. Ronaldo nips in ahead of Godin, and plants a header past Oblak. Game on!
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26 min: Spinazzola wins a corner down the left. From the set piece, there’s an awful scramble and Juve want a corner for something or other. They’re not getting it. But no matter, because …
24 min: Atletico spend a little time in the Juve half, their first prolonged spell in enemy territory this evening. Griezmann glides in from the right and welts a fine long-distance shot towards the middle of the Juve goal. It’s swerving around, and Morata’s in the way, causing Szczesny to flap a bit. He just about parries it away from danger, and the flag goes up against Morata anyway. He’s offside. Hearts were in Juve mouths for a second there.
22 min: Koke has a crack from 20 yards. His rising effort isn’t too far away from the top right, but it’s just that little bit too high. Szczesny probably had it covered, too. But a reminder that it’ll only take one Atletico flash of brilliance for Juve to find themselves in a four-goal hole.
21 min: Bernardeschi floats a cross into the Atletico box from the right. He’s hoping to find Mandzukic, six yards out in the middle, but Godin reads the flight perfectly and bashes a header away.
19 min: It’s all Juve in terms of territory and possession. But Atletico aren’t giving up any space in the final third. A little bit for Cancelo down the right. He cuts back for Bernardeschi, who tries a shot from 25 yards. It’s blocked brilliantly by Juanfran. The first howl of frustration from the home fans.
17 min: Another storming run by Spinazzola, who tears 50 yards up his wing and very nearly gets the better of Arias. But he can’t burst clear, the defender sticking out a leg and not only winning a tackle, but also deflecting the ball off the Juve man for a goal kick.
15 min: Matuidi finds Spinazzola in a lot of space down the left. His cross isn’t all that and cleared by Godin. He takes another run along the flank, but runs out of space and it’s a throw to the visitors. Spinazzola is seeing a lot of the ball early doors. Juve have definitely targeted this left wing.
13 min: Another long pass to the Juve right, and Cancelo traps well this time. He looks to have earned a corner off Juanfran, but the referee says no deflection. Atletico go up the other end, Griezmann having a dig from distance. It’s blocked the second it leaves his boot. But at least Atletico have finally shown something in attack.
11 min: Juve are concentrating on this left wing. Ronaldo probes again. Once more, there’s nothing doing. He switches play towards Cancelo on the other flank, a fine raking pass, but the right-back lets the ball roll under his foot and out for a throw.
9 min: Juve are seeing most of the ball, though it’s all a bit nervy and scrappy. Matuidi and Ronaldo very nearly work some space down the left, but the one-two doesn’t quite stick.
7 min: One minute and 40 seconds, though. On the touchline, Diego Simeone looks reasonably content, his team having perhaps gotten away with one.
6 min: After one minute and 40 seconds of waiting, the decision stands. No goal. There didn’t seem an awful lot in Ronaldo’s challenge on Oblak – some uncharacteristically slack defending by Atletico, as the ball pinballed around – but it remains goalless. There goes Juve’s perfect start.
4 min: Bonucci flicks the corner on. Ronaldo challenges Oblak on the goalline. The ball breaks back to Chiellini, who stabs home from the edge of the six-yard box. Juve celebrate the early goal, but the referee says no. Juve are livid. This is going to VAR.
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3 min: Spinazzola makes good down the left and pulls back for Matuidi, who shoots first time from 15 yards. Godin hacks clear, but Juve come back and earn a corner on the left. From which …
2 min: Ronaldo’s first run of the evening, out on the left touchline. He makes good ground but Koke and Arias ensure there’s no gap to dribble through.
Here we go, then! Juve get the ball rolling, as they go in search of the two goals they need to level this tie. Within 25 seconds, Matuidi reaches the byline to the left of the goal and pulls back for Mandzukic, but Gimenez is there to intercept and clear. A lot of noise.
The teams are out! Amid a rare old noise at the Juventus Stadium in Turin – 30,000 flags have been handed out and are fluttering like crazy – the players take to the pitch. Juventus are kitted out in their world-famous black-and-white stripes, while Atletico sport a change strip of blue. We’ll be off in two shakes!
Hot pennant action. Here’s what Juve captain Giorgio Chiellini will be handing over to his opposite number Diego Godin before kick-off. It’s pretty much impossible to decide who has the better crest, isn’t it.
Who’s walking the disciplinary tightrope? Blaise Matuidi is the only player up there in black and white stripes. A booking would rule him out of a possible quarter-final. Atletico have three players teetering on the wire: Antoine Griezmann, Jose Maria Gimenez and Angel Correa.
Juventus might become desperate for goals at some point this evening. With this in mind, they’ve named their 19-year-old prodigy Moise Kean as a smash-glass-in-emergency sub. Kean scored twice against Udinese last weekend, on his first Serie A start of the season, becoming the youngest player to bag two in a game for the Bianconeri since Giuseppe Galderisi in 1982. Our man Paolo Bandini was suitably impressed and penned the following love letter …
Massimiliano Allegri makes four changes to the Juve team named in the first leg in Madrid. João Cancelo, Leonardo Spinazzola, Emre Can and Federico Bernardeschi come in for Mattia De Sciglio, Alex Sandro, Rodrigo Bentancur and Paulo Dybala.
Diego Simeone makes three changes to his Atletico team from the one sent out at the Estadio Metropolitano. Filipe Luis, Thomas Partey and Diego Costa make way for Santiago Arias, Thomas Lemar and Alvaro Morata.
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The teams
Juventus: Szczesny, Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Spinazzola, Can, Pjanic, Matuidi, Bernardeschi, Mandzukic, Ronaldo.
Subs: Perin, Caceres, Dybala, Kean, Rugani, Bentancur, Caviglia.
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Arias, Godin, Gimenez, Juanfran, Griezmann, Saul, Rodri, Koke, Lemar, Morata.
Subs: Adan, Kalinic, Correa, Savic, Vitolo, Carro, Montero.
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Holland).
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Preamble
It wasn’t supposed to be like this for the grand Old Lady of Italian football. Juventus didn’t splurge on Cristiano Ronaldo in the hope of winning a 35th Serie A title, even if that’s what they’re going to do. They spent those 100 million euros to win a third European Cup, having come so close in recent years. The signing of Ronaldo would get them over the line. But instead, here they are on the precipice.
Atlético Madrid were by far the better side in the first leg of this round-of-16 tie at the Metropolitano. Late goals by Jose Maria Giménez and Diego Godín only tell half the story. Diego Costa missed a sitter, Antoine Griezmann hit the crossbar, and Alvaro Morata had a perfectly good goal chalked off by VAR for his part in a very light tussle with Giorgio Chiellini. The 2-0 result didn’t flatter Atlético at all.
Now Juve have it all to do, and the omens aren’t good. Their last two Big Cup campaigns have ended in defeat by Spanish opposition, while Atlético haven’t lost in Italy for more than seven years, and have won eight of their last ten matches against sides from Serie A. And should the Italian champions concede an away goal, they’ll be in all sorts of bother.
On the other hand, an early goal for the home heroes and you never know! Especially as comebacks are all the rage in the Champions League this year; just ask Ajax, Manchester United Real Madrid and PSG. Can Juve salvage this situation and keep alive their dream of becoming European champions for the first time since 1996? Or will Atlético close it out, in the hope of eventually righting the wrongs of 1974, 2014 and 2016? Another big club is going out tonight … perhaps after extra time and penalties if the score’s 2-0 after 90 minutes. It’s on!
Kick off: 8pm GMT, 9pm local in Turin.
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