'Old Lady' bitter taste in mouth before Atletico's specialty

The reigning Serie A champions Juventus were completely helpless against Atletico's annoying style of play and had to accept a 0-1 defeat at the Vincente Calderon stadium.

Atletico have their first win in the Champions League this season. Photo: AFP.

The only goal of the match was scored by Arda Turan in the 75th minute. The Turkish midfielder tapped the ball into the net from close range after an accurate cross from Juanfran from the right wing. Before that, Atletico had two situations that deserved penalties when Vidal and Caceres handled the ball in Juventus's 16m50 area.

The win over Juventus puts Atletico back in the race for the round of 16. The defending runners-up now have three points, the same as their Group A rivals Juventus, Malmo and Olympiakos. This is also a gift to celebrate coach Simeone's return to the technical bench after the Argentine strategist's suspension ended.

Atletico and Juventus are both solid defensive teams that prioritize control of the game. This makes the match a real battle as both sides focus on stopping the other before thinking about attacking.

The first half was very intense with a series of fouls forcing the referee to blow the whistle. Neither team could create any truly dangerous situations towards the opponent's goal. The brightest moment was Mandzukic's quick shot from outside the 16m50 box, forcing Buffon to dive to block.

Atletico played at home but still applied the usual style of play when facing big teams. Coach Simeone's students proactively gave up control of the ball to the opponent and waited for counter-attacks and set pieces. Atletico's pressing and tight style of play proved effective when Juventus, despite having a lot of possession, were completely deadlocked in attack.

In the first half alone, there were 25 fouls that tore the match apart. This prevented the two teams from performing truly smooth coordination. The midfield was the most fiercely contested area and every time the ball was lost, a foul was immediately committed to prevent the opponent from counter-attacking. Vidal, Pogba and Lichsteiner from Juventus frequently fouled Gabi, Tiago and Arda Turan from the home team.

Fouls are a familiar sight in the game. Photo: EPA.

Coach Max Allegri arranged Tevez to play wide as an attacking midfielder to stretch Atletico's defense, but the Argentine star's positivity did not help Juventus improve the game. Striker Llorente was completely silent because he did not receive support from his teammates. Juventus' most dangerous situation came from Atletico's defender with a clearance that hit the post.

Juventus could not attack, but they defended well against Atletico's attacks. Entering the second half, the Italian team seemed to take the initiative to retreat to defense to earn a draw away from home. However, it was the abandonment of the game that put Juventus under more pressure and indirectly created opportunities for Atletico to score.

After conceding the goal, Juventus tried to push up the squad by sending forwards Morata and Giovinco onto the field. The appearance of this pair did not help the visitors as Atletico showed their cunning in holding the ball to waste time. The frustration of Juventus players caused them to receive four consecutive yellow cards in just the last few minutes of the match.

Line-up

Atletico Madrid: Moya, Juanfran, Godin, Miranda, Ansaldi, Turan (Siqueira 89'), Koke, Tiago, Saul (Griezmann 53'), Raul Garcia, Mandzukic (Suarez 84').

Goal: Turan (75')

Juventus: Buffon, Caceres (Pereyra 78'), Bonucci, Chiellini, Lichtsteiner (Giovinco 89'), Vidal (Morata 89'), Marchisio, Pogba, Evra, Tevez, Llorente.

According to VnExpress.net