Ronaldo tried to finish a lot in the context that he was surrounded by people who were in love with the songs of the Portuguese superstar. That is also the reason why, not once in the match early this morning, CR7 could see the space in goalkeeper Jan Oblak's penalty area.
Taking a free kick, shooting from a distance and then headed the ball, Ronaldo did everything but could not beat the opponent's goalkeeper. When the number 1 star fails to score, fans will ask, where are the number 2, number 3, even number 4.5,...?
They are still on the field but instead of scoring goals like usual, everything is "smooth". Atletico's defense played a very good match and did not miss any name as Juventus' spearhead. If Ronaldo was caught dead and could not finish in the box, the situation of Dybala and Mandzukic was similar. Ronaldo did not play well but was also rated 8.2 points. Meanwhile, Dybala or Mandzukic, none are more than 6.5.
If lucky, the trio Griezmann - Costa - Morata all scored. But the crossbar, VAR and lack of luck made everyone not have a satisfying smile. But when the attack line failed to score, other lines of the home team spoke up at the right time. The two central defenders, Gimenez and Godin, punished their opponents in just 5 minutes. Receiving two quick and unexpected punches, Juve could not hold back.
Ronaldo - Dybala - Mandzukic did not score, the "Old Lady" midfield also suffered a defeat in a day of playing below the strength. Throughout the match, creative midfielders like Pjanic could not find any gaps to penetrate Atletico's defense. The most notable point of this star is just a hopeless long-range shot, leaving the top line always waiting for a breakthrough.
Ronaldo is still unmatched in scoring in the Champions League when he has scored 121 goals in this arena. But there is an alarming statistic more than ever, in the last 9 matches, CR7 has only scored once. Unfortunately, that was the loss to Man United in the group stage.
Is Max Allegri fit enough to lead the Juventus squad to compete in the Champions League? The answer is yes. In 2015 and 2017, he took the Turin team to the final stage but failed both times. This year, Juve added stronger personnel, more forced spending and showed higher determination, but if eliminated from the round of 16, all excuses will become an excuse.
As for Ronaldo, it is impossible to use an excuse of loneliness, struggling internally or not trying to justify this failure. He is flying high every week with the "Old Lady", being admired and respected by his teammates. Ronaldo is still fine but he alone is not enough, Juve needs more than the satellites around him to shine at the right time.
Atletico Madrid under Simeone is a very difficult team and is very difficult to defeat. Losing 2 goals away from home and not scoring any goals made everything messy for Allegri's team.
The task in the second leg is considered more difficult than ever. If he fails this season, the Italian coach will consider agreeing with the option of leaving Turin. As for Ronaldo, his ambition to conquer Europe at the age of 34 will be reduced if he cannot continue?
