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Cometh the hour, cometh the man!
Every single time the odds are stacked against him, Cristiano Ronaldo manages to shock everyone and pull a rabbit out of the hat. He is 34 years old, yet he is still depicting that you can rely on him to mount a comeback or to step up in the biggest of moments.
It took two headers and a penalty to score his first hat-trick with Juventus, but it came when the Bianconeri needed him the most. They lost 2-0 to Atletico at the Spanish capital and very few teams have managed to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Diego Simeone's side. But Cristiano did just what he was brought in to do - help Juventus in their quest for European glory.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 24 goals in 33 appearances against Atlético Madrid and it was his 8th hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League. He is the only player to score 4 hat-tricks past Atletico and it is more amazing because Atletico Madrid boasts one of the best defensive structures in Europe.
Without further ado, let us evaluate three reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo manages to get the better of Atletico Madrid more often than not.
#1 Off the ball positioning
Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of the greatest goalscorers of our generation. It is quite staggering to see him get the job done at 34 when his legs are not as fast and as powerful as they used to be. But the Portuguese talisman remains one of the best poachers in the world, and for a good reason.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner uses his intelligence to fend off markers, which is why even a defensive set up like Atletico Madrid fails to mark him every time. His off the ball positioning allows him to be at the right place, at the right time, to put the ball into the net.
#2 Numerous chances
It is actually a very simple reason. When you feed a world class poacher like Cristiano Ronaldo with multiple chances, he will convert most of them. Atletico Madrid's mistake was to sit back and defend throughout the game, which is not at all viable, as proven.
For instance, Cristiano was not his usual self in the first leg because Juventus' intent was to be defensive. The Bianconeri were not using their flanks to get the balls into the box and Atletico Madrid was quick to close off any other areas of chance creation, which rendered Cristiano alone and useless in the first leg.
Things were different in the second leg as Juventus were pragmatic and showed the urgency to score by moving the ball into wide areas and into the box. As a result, Cristiano converted two of the crosses that came his way and helped his team make another comeback.
#3 Mentality
It's evident, Atletico Madrid are old victims of Cristiano Ronaldo. After that first goal, they were pushed onto the back foot and never looked to get the job done despite leading for the most part over two legs. As the match went on, it was crystal clear that whatever game plan Atletico had, it went out the window.
Meanwhile, Cristiano is accustomed to pressure. He has scored hat-tricks before and helped his teams score three goals to mount a comeback, most notably against Wolfsburg. He was hungry and determined to make his mark and help his team qualify, and he did just that.
Whereas Juventus previously faltered despite scoring three goals at the Santiago Bernabeu, it is obvious that Cristiano's arrival bolstered their chances, and made them more confident of securing a comeback.
