Atletico Madrid 2-0 Juventus: The Old Lady's need to step up in the second leg | UEFA Champions League 2018-19

The tie between Atletico Madrid and Juventus could easily have been a quarter-final or semi-final. Though Juventus started the game on a brighter note, they lost complete control of it by the start of the second half.

With the five-time UEFA Champions League winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus looked like favourites to come out victorious, but it was Atletico Madrid who seized the night to win the first leg 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Cristiano Ronaldo was pumped up and was looking forward to this big clash in the Round of 16. Although Atleti emerged with a 2-0 win, statistically the Portuguese international was the best player on the field.

The former Real Madrid ace completed 7 out of his 8 attempted dribbles, won 11 out of 15 duels, and completed 39 passes out of 41, becoming the most accurate passer of the night. He also created 2 chances and made 1 recovery.

Even after putting in a solid performance, it was not enough for Juventus. The only thing Ronaldo lacked was a goal for his side. Juventus failed to carve enough clear cut chances for their strikers to capitalise on.

The Atletico Madrid midfield clearly outplayed Juve's 3 man midfield in terms of creativity, stability, and balance. The Bianconeri lacked creativity with even Pjanic and Dybala being unable to make a difference.

The frontline of Juventus had completely isolated Ronaldo, as there was no sign of link-up play between Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic. The Croatian went missing for major parts of the game, leaving the 5-time UCL winner alone against a resolute Atletico Madrid defence.

The midfield was unable to create chances, just like the fullbacks. Jan Oblak was never exposed, with Diego Godin and José Giménez making sure the only resort Juventus had was to go for long distance attempts.

The closest Juventus came last night was through a Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick which was dealt with well by Oblak. Meanwhile, Griezmann and Costa breached Juventus' defence on various occasions in the second half. However, the goals came in from Diego Godin and José Giménez via set pieces which should have been dealt with in a better manner.

If Juventus are to overturn this tie, they need to fix various issues. They lacked the sort of flare in the final third which Griezmann and Costa possessed, as well as the defensive solidity Atletico displayed. Overall they will have to put in a perfect performance at the Allianz Stadium if they are to progress. The whole team needs to step up.