Atletico Madrid - Juventus Text Commentary and UCL Scores 2014

Atletico Madrid - Juventus Text Commentary and UCL Scores 2014
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By Jonathan Walsh
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21:45. That's all from me evening, for all tonight's reaction and match reports look no further than VAVEL. We have everything wrapped up in a nice bundle and every report will be out soon. From myself, Jonathan Walsh, I bid you a goodnight and I hope you enjoyed the coverage!

21:43. Tonight's other full-time scores, Malmo beat Olympiacos 2-0 in Group A's other game:

21:41. Atletico Madrid become the first team to score against and beat Juventus this year. An entertaining last 45 minutes made up for a dull opening first half, as Arda Turn's flicked finished proved to be the difference. Juventus looked toothless at times, but Atleti's defending was exemplary.

FULL TIME: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Juventus.

94' Juventus almost get an equaliser! Giovinco breaks through and is well stopped by Moya, but for it to be brought back for handball and the winger is booked.

93' Atletico comfortably running the clock down by winning multiple corners and keeping possession, not long left now..

91' Pogba is booked for shoulder barging Garcia into next week. Almost full time here..

89' Final Juventus change, madness on the touchline as no-one can sort out the fourth official board, but it finally words and Giovinco comes on for Lichtsteiner. Final Atletico sub too, Turan makes way for Siqueira.

86' Electric atmosphere here! Llorente almost finds a way through, but Miranda and Godin defend it brilliantly. Morata booked for taking Turan's legs from underneath him.

85' Lichtsteiner is booked for fouling Garcia in the corner, needless foul. Five minutes to go, the second half has been great!

84' Atleti whip in two dangerous crosses, the first runs through to Griezmann and his is punched well clear by Buffon.

83' Changes for both sides: Former Atletico Madrid youth striker Alvaro Morata replaces Vidal, Mario Suarez comes on for Mario Mandzukic.

80' Massive stop from Moya! Garcia almost pokes Lichtsteiner's cross into his own goal, but for a combination of glove and post to deny him.

78' Juve sub: Pereyra on for Caceres and they revert to a back four. Malmo are now 2-0 up against Olympiacos, all the teams in Group A will have three points as things stand!

77' The Calderon is BOUNCING right now, that's the first goal Juventus have conceded all season. Meanwhile, Dortmund have scored a third goal against Anderlecht.

75' A marvelous ball in by Juanfran is initially missed by Mandzukic, but Arda Turan arrives late at the back post and manages to flick it home! Great anticipation and a great finish, 1-0 Atleti!

GOAL ATLETICO MADRID!

74' Real Madrid have eventually broken Ludogorets resolve and are now 2-1 up, while Koke drives a volley wide.

71' Llorente does brilliantly to hold the ball up and find Tevez, Juventus don't get enough bodies forward and he's made to run down a dead end. Moments later, Tevez sees a shot bravely blocked by Tiago.

70' Ansaldi really lucky to not getting a second yellow for going through Lichtsteiner again, but Brych spares him the red card.

68' Juventus beginning to pump the ball into the Atletico Madrid box, but Godin and Miranda are dealing with it fantastically well. In Belgium, Adrian Ramos has came off the bench to give Dortmund a 2-0 lead.

66' A bit of a lull in the game after the last ten minutes of pressure, it's looking increasingly likely that we won't see a goal tonight.

64' The Atletico Madrid fans put on a wonderful display before the game:

62' Silly, silly tackle from Ansaldi. Lichtsteiner is going nowhere and the Argetine defender hacks him down from behind.

60' Atletico Madrid are piling on the pressure, as there are two more goals in Leverkusen and one in London. Galatasary pull one back, before hand Leverkusen and Benfica exchanged goals; 4-1 and 3-1 respectively.

59' How on earth did that stay out?! Turn drills in a cross that Chiellini hacks onto Caceres' arm and almost comes in, but Buffon hacks it off the line. The Juve 'keeper then makes tow good interventions from crosses and they finally clear.

57' That was close! The ball runs through to Moya and the 'keeper makes a mess of picking the ball up and almost costs his side a goal. At the other end, Chiellini sees yellow for persistent fouling.

56' 30 yards out, Pogba tries to whip it around the wall and just doesn't get any. Horrendously wide.

54' Moya finally makes a save, as Vidal's volley is straight down his throat. It wouldn't have counted, however, as Llorente pushed Godin in the back. Garcia gets booked for hacking down Tevez and Juventus have a great dead-ball chance.

53' First change of the game sees Antoine Griezmann arrive for Saul, a very positibe change.

51' Galatasary are falling apart in London and are 4-0 down to Arsenal, in St.Jakob Park Liverpool have fallen behind to Basel.

50' Vidal gets into a good position to shot, only for the Chilean to lose his footing and skew the shot straight to Miranda.

48' Ansaldi whips in a great cross, Bonucci and Mandzukic contest it and neither can get the better of each other before Juve play it out from the back.

47' More early possession for Juventus, they've had well over 70% of the ball.

46' The second half is started by Atletico Madrid, we're off!

20:49. Teams are gradually starting to come back out onto the pitch, shouldn't be long until we get back underway!

20:43. Two of the most creative players on the pitch, Koke and Tevez, but we've seen very little from them so far.

20:40. Half-time scores: Basel 0-0 Liverpool, Anderlecht 0-1 Dortmund, Malmö 1-0 Olympiacos, Ludogorets 1-1 Real Madrid, Arsenal 3-0 Galatasaray, Leverkusen 2-0 Benfica.

20:35. A dull, but fiesty, first half in Madrid that remains goalless. Some final third quality would be nice, Atletico came into it more as the half went on, here's hoping they continue to attack!

Half-time: Atletico Madrid 0-0 Juventus.

45' Raul Garcia bursts down the line and crosses for Mandzukic, only for Bonucci to clear well.

44' Incredibly, this is what Atletico Madrid's passing chart looks like..

42' Pogba has a wild swing at the ball and completely misses it. Meanwhile, Diego Simeone plays a beautiful through ball to Mario Mandzukic, unfortunately the ball had gone out. Moment of madness from the Atletico Madrid manager!

40' Saul lucky not to get booked for elbowing Lichtsteiner in the face, looked worse than Bonucci's booking earlier.

38' Great defending from Miranda who runs the length of the half to marshall Tevez and keep the attacker from getting a shot on goal. Alexis has put Arsenal 3-0 up at the Emirates and a goal in Group A! Malmo have scored against Olympiacos, they lead 1-0!

37' Koke, renown for his set-piece delivery, whips in a great ball towards Saul and his header drifts wide.

34' Referee Brych is being very kind with the giving of fouls, Atletico get another good set-piece chance and it's horribly wasted.

33' First Juventus chance! The ball bounces kindly off of Miranda and straight to Paul Pogba, the France midfielder tries his luck and the ball flies past a scrambling Moya.

31' A good set-piece opportunity for Atletico Madrid's sizeable team is flicked over by Diego Godin, Heung-Min Son has put Leverkusen two goals to the good against Benfica.

30' Short delay is over and Juventus get us back underway again. Quality somewhat lacking in the final third, just as Evra's cross misses everyone and rolls to safety. Great ball from the former Manchester United man.

28' Arda Turn down after taking Lichtsteiner's elbow to the face, completely accidental.

27' Juventus dominating possession (67-33%), but are yet to convert that into chances. Arsenal have scored again and lead 2-0 against Galatasary.

25' Commentators curse! Juventus give the ball away in a dangerous area after Vidal is put on massive pressure, Mandzukic's shot is well dealt with by Buffon.

24' Another few goals to tell you about, Danny Welbeck has put Arsenal ahead against Galatasary. Real Madrid are also back on level terms against Ludogorets, Stefan Kießling has Leverkusen in a 1-0 lead - Benfica. This game is still being broken up by fouls, neither goalkeeper has made a meaningful save yet.

19' The big Spniard is doing a fine job at holding the ball up for Juventus, only for Miranda do an even better job at marshalling him wide. Claims of a handball in the Italians box, there's no intent from Vidal who does very well to block the cross.

17' Bonucci fires the ball long towards Fernando Llorente, but the ball just misses him. Down at the other end, Koke's cross is easily gathered by Buffon.

15' And almost straight away it pays dividends! Pogba spreads the ball to Lichtsteiner, he finds Vidal and the Chilean nearly slipped in Carlos Tevez. Atletico Madrid very exposed out wide.

13' A lively start at the Calderon, as Tiago drags a shot horribly wide. The game is lacking flow due to the amount of fouls, but whenever Pogba and Vidal get space in midfield, Juventus look very dangerous.

12' Yellow card already for Bonucci. He's not quite sure why, Mandzukic claims he was elbowed and Brych's decision is spot on. He's also ditched the mask, prepare for another broken nose..

11' In tonight's other games, Ludogorets are 1-0 up against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund lead Anderlecht by the same scoreline.

10' Claudio Marchisio arrives late and has an effort from range. Unfortunately for the midfielder, it's more likely to trouble his own fans than Moya.

8' Llorente goes down in the box, but he has a handful of Miranda's shirt and the decision goes against the Spaniard.

6' Atleti bombarding Juventus from out-wide, the pressure is taken away once Tiago jumps into the back of Marchisio. Another clumsy tackle from Turn buys Juve some breathing space. Relentless pressing from Simeone's side!

5' Atletico Madrid finally enjoy some possession and have the first attempt of tonight. Juanfran's first cross is recycled and he whips another in, Raul Garcia can't direct the ball on target. Decent start to the game.

4' The visitors are in no real rush when the ball is in their half; yet when the ball reaches Pogba and Vidal, they speed things up massively.

2' Chiellini and Mandzukic already tussling, that'll definitely be one to look tonight. Moya's long ball almost catchs out the Juventus defence, but Buffon is there to mop things up.

1' Juventus enjoy some good, early possession. Ball fed into Fernando Llorente, only for the striker to miscontrol and Miranda clears.

Kick-off! Juventus win the toss and they get us underway!

19:45. Champions League anthem and the pleasantries are being taken care of. Not for much longer, the stadium is bouncing!

19:42. Lovely scenes before the game, as each and every player shares a hug and handshake, the players are finally coming out!

19:40. Raul Garcia will lead Atletico Madrid out tonight, Gianluigi Buffon is Juventus' captain. The teams are in the tunnel!

19:37. A very impressive atmosphere, as always, inside the Vincente Calderon. The players have returned to the dressing room and the fans respond with plenty of applause.

19:36. 10 of Atletico Madrid's 15 goals have come from set-pieces this season; thankfully for Juventus, they have a towering centre-back trio.

19:34. Mario Mandzukic will don this mask tonight, after he broke his nose against Olympiacos. Not that it will stop him going for anything in the air, mind.

19:31. Despite it being 20:30 in Spain, it's a toasty 23 degrees. Thankfully for Atletico Madrid and Juventus, the humidity is just 52%.

19:25. Tonight's venue looks marvelous, as the players of Juventus and Atletico Madrid are put through their paces:

19:20. Despite finding his initial few months at Atletico Madrid tough, Juanfran has backed Cerci to succeed: "I saw him playing in Italy last year and he's very good. I'm sure he's going to be an important player for us. Playing at Atletico is different from a lot of other clubs, especially with Diego Simeone as the coach but I'm sure he will settle in soon." Juanfran told reporters at a press conference.

19:16. Alvaro Morata, should he come on for Juventus, won't be surprised by the atmosphere at the Calderon. The on-loan Real Madrid striker has been out and inspecting his surroundings:

19:14. Former Torino man, Alessio Cerci, has a quick chat with Angelo Ogbonna before Atletico Madrid and Juventus do battle:

19:07. Also, Diego Simeone will return to the Atletico Madrid touchline following his ban for his actions during the Champions League final defeat.

19:05. Forty minutes until kick-off and the Juventus end is filling up nicely:

(@UEFAcomJoeW)

19:00. One result to bring you from today's Champions League early kick-off is Zenit St. Petersburg and Monaco's 0-0 draw. That means both sides will remain top of their respective group.

18:57. Earlier today, the clubs' under 19 sides met in the UEFA Youth League. A dominant performance from the Spaniards saw them prevail 1-0, thanks to a first-half Nuñez strike.

18:54. Similarly, as was eluded to, Martin Caceres returns to the Juventus starting line-up. He replaces Angelo Ogbonna, the only change from their handsome win over Atalanta.

18:52. Just one change for Atlético Madrid from the 4-0 win over Sevilla at the weekend. As previously mentioned, Gabi was unavailable due to an ankle problem and he is replaced by Raul Garcia.

18:49. Juventus team to fave Atletico Madrid - Buffon; Chiellini, Cáceres, Bonucci; Lichtsteiner, Pogba, Marchisio, Vidal, Evra; Tévez, Llorente.

18:47. Customary pre-match selfie coming up, with Fernando Llorente and Simone Pepe involved:

18:43. Atletico Madrid team to face Juventus - Moya; Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Ansaldi; Tiago, Koke, Raul Garcia; Saul, Arda Turan, Mandzukic.

18:35. Team news for this Atletico Madrid - Juventus is coming up for you now, stay tuned!

18:25. The two sides have yet to meet each other in a current competitive competition, but they did meet five times during the old Inter-Cities Fairs Cup; Juventus won all but one of the five ties. They did, however, face opposition from each other's countries during last season's Champions League. Atlético ran out 5-1 aggregate winners against AC Milan. After a solid performance in the San Siro, Simeone's side demolished their opponents for a comfortable 4-1 victory. Juventus had the pleasure of facing Real Madrid in the Group stage in the 2013/14 tournament. Two very close matches ensued, a 2-2 draw in Turin was followed up by a 2-1 loss thanks to Ronaldo's brace.

18:15. Both Juventus and Atléti have enjoyed major success in Europe, with the latter's coming more recently. A pair of Europa League and UEFA Supercup titles have earned Diego SImeone in the club's history books. Last year's bitter defeat to city rivals Real was a tough one to take. Yet after replacing their star players, that left almost exclusively to Chelsea, they are ready for another crack at Europe's top prize. Juventus are one of Europe's most decorated sides. Twice Champions League winners, five times runners up and also championing UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup triumphs.

18:05. Possible Juventus starting XI: Buffon; Cáceres, Bonucci, Chiellini; Liechtsteiner, Pogba, Marchisio, Vidal, Evra; Tévez, Llorente.

17:55. Possible Atlético Madrid starting XI: Moyà; Juanfran, Miranda, Godín, Ansaldi; Koke, Tiago, Mario Suárez, Arda; Raúl García; Mandžukić.

17:50. Juventus' eternal custodian, Gianluigi Buffon, spoke to the media and Juventus.com on Tuesday: "It’s a fascinating game because it pits two very traditional clubs together, something that perhaps bucks the trend in modern football as many teams have only emerged on the scene in the last few years. There’s plenty of enthusiasm in the camp and we’re looking forward to seeing how far we’ve come by testing ourselves against Atletico. They can be a useful yardstick for us.” commented the veteran shot-stopper, “Atletico are no longer a surprise package: they have won two Europa Leagues, La Liga and are aware of their own strength. We want to pick up from where we left off two years ago against Bayern. It’s important to have at least that as an aim, even if a great deal depends on the luck of the draw.”

17:45. Andrea Pirlo (thigh), Andrea Barzagli (ankle), Rômulo (hernia) will play no part for the Old Lady tonight, three massive blows to Allegri's side. Other wsie they are at full strength and will look forward to a tough fight in the Calderon.

17:40. Atlético come into the game with virtually no injuries worries. Their only absentee is Gabi, who has an ankle problem. While it may be the captain of the side, Atléti are blessed with fantastic depth in central midfield and will have no problems in replacing him.

17:35. Group A got off to a surprising start for tonight's hosts. After half an hour, Atléti found themselves two goals down to Olympiacos. Mario Mandzukic's goal got them a foothold in the game but like the first two goals in the game, Kostas Mitroglu's goal came against the run of play. Antoine Griezmann scored with minutes to go, setting up an interesting finish, but the Greek side held on to notch up a vital three points. Juventus got off to a much more routine start. A largely dull first half was soon forgotten, when Carlos Tevez opened the scoring eight minutes into the second period. The Argentine completed his brace with a few seconds left, meaning the Italians sit atop the group heading into tonight's fixtures.

17:25. Diego Simeone, Atléti's charismatic coach, spoke to UEFA.come before the game and would not underestimate the importance of the tie: "This is a final, just like our subsequent matches against Valencia and Espanyol. The players must be ready because every game is different and we have to rotate. We have forwards who have different skills in order to balance out our attacking strategy." Simeone then detailed the very real threat that tonight's opponents would pose, "Juventus have always been a very strong team and it's not easy to find faults in their game. We will have to play a high-level match. [Carlos] Tévez is a great player, especially when he is close to goal. I know him well and I know we can't let him think." he said, "I have enormous respect for Juventus. They have always been very strong and they work hard on the pitch. They like to press and create spaces for players like Tévez, [Fernando] Llorente or [Álvaro] Morata."

Image credit: UEFA.com

17:20. Tonight's game will take place in the atmospheric Estadio Vicente Calderón. The ground boasts a capacity of 54,907 and will be bouncing tonight. It hosted three games in the 1982 World Cup, two involving Northern Ireland. However, it won't be Atlético's ground for much longer. In 2016, the capital club will be moving to the Estadio La Peineta and the capacity will be upped to 67,500.

17:15. ​Tonight's other Champions League fixtures: Malmo FF-Olympiacos (A), FC Basel-Liverpool (B), Ludogorets-Real Madrid (B), Zenit St. Petersburg-Monaco (C), Bayer Leverkusen-SL Benfica (C), Arsenal-Galatasary (D), RSC Anderlecht-Borussia Dortmund (D).

17:10. Juventus boss, Massimiliano Allegri, also spoke to UEFA.com in his pre-match press conference. The Italian was wary of the threat last year's finalists pose: "Their ability with dead balls is something we will have to work, in particular. The important thing is the team's attitude. Atlético display a lot of the characteristics of their manager. It is credit to Simeone that he has been able to transmit his ideas. It's a difficult game for us but also for them. We have to be calm while knowing what we are playing for. This is the type of game that brings out a lot of emotion." He said, before turning his attentions to team news, "Maybe [Martín] Cáceres will come back into the defence and I'm not sure about the Spaniards [Llorente and Morata] in attack. Atlético stand out for the quality of their team rather than individuals. [Diego] Costa and [Mario] Mandžukić are tactically different. Both are great players and very dangerous. They have in common the fact they are very dangerous because of their physicality and technical ability. Tomorrow will be a big day for us and especially for our defence."

17:05. Tonight's referee is Dr. Felix Brych (GER), who will be assisted by: Mark Borsch, Stefan Lupp, Bastian Dankert and Marco Fritz, who all reside from Germany. Brych is regarded as one of UEFA's finest referees and this was evidenced by his fine performances at the World Cup and in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League final. Along with that, the German has officiated some of Europe's biggest games including Chelsea's 1-0 win over Barcelona in the 2011/12 semi-finals. This was on the Blues road to winning the title in Munich.

17:00. Juventus have been in absolutely fantastic form this season. Without conceding a single goal this term, they boast a 10+ goal difference in Serie A and sit atop the Italian league with AS Roma. Along with a Champions League win against Malmo, Massimiliano Allegri's first few months in charge couldn't have gone any better.

16:55. After losing key players and Diego Simeone for a touchline ban, both club and manager are back in sync. Despite a disappointing opening to their Champions League campaign, they are currently joint second in La Liga. An incredible effort after losing so many of last year's championship winning team. Wins against Real Madrid, both in the Supercopa and in the league have put a smile back on Atléti fans' faces and are ready for another crack at Europe's premier club competition.

16:50. Tonight's game sees two of Europe's top teams face off in Group A of the Champions League. An interesting encounter is bound to follow, as Atléti look to kick on from their loss to Olympiacos. While Juventus aim to build upon a solid if unspectacular win against Malmo.

16:45. Hello and welcome to VAVEL's LIVE coverage of live Juventus - Atlético Madrid in the second matchday of the UEFA Champions Group Stage; with match commentary from myself, Jonathan Walsh. Kick-off is at 19:45BST.