Juventus 3-0 Atletico Madrid (Agg: 3-2): Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick sends Juve to quarters

By Ron Walker, Digital Football Journalist @Ronnabe

Image: Cristiano Ronaldo steered Juventus to the quarter-finals with a hat-trick

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick as Juventus stunned Atletico Madrid 3-0 to reach the Champions League quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.

Trailing 2-0 from the first leg in Madrid, Juventus thought they had halved the deficit within four minutes when Giorgio Chiellini turned the ball in from a corner, but his effort was ruled out by VAR.

But Ronaldo - who had only scored one Champions League goal all season coming into the game - gave them hope when he headed in Federico Bernadeschi's cross with 27 minutes gone, and pulled Juve level three minutes after the break from another wide delivery.

Player ratings

Juventus: Szczesny (7), Cancelo (8), Chiellini (7), Bonucci (6), Spinazzola (8), Can (6), Matuidi (7), Pjanic (7), Bernadeschi (9), Mandzukic (6), Ronaldo (9).

Subs: Dybala (6), Kean (5).

Atletico Madrid: Oblak (6), Arias (3), Godin (4), Gimenez (5), Juanfran (2), Lemar (4), Saul (4), Rodri (4), Koke (3), Griezmann (6), Morata (4).

Subs: Correa (4), Vitolo (n/a).

Man of the match: Cristiano Ronaldo

Image: Ronaldo was yet again pivotal in the Champions league knockout stage

With extra-time looming, Bernadeschi was nudged over by Angel Correa inside the Atletico box and referee Bjorn Kuipers pointed straight to the spot, from which Ronaldo showed nerves of steel to send Jan Oblak the wrong way and fire Juventus into the quarter-finals.

Juventus had needed to attack their visitors, who had kept five clean sheets in a row coming into the game, to stand any hope of qualifying and went at them straight from the first whistle.

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Chiellini had the ball in the back of the net after four minutes when Ronaldo challenged Oblak from a corner, but after a VAR review the referee ruled the ball had been kicked out of the goalkeepers hand and gave a free-kick.

Image: Diego Simeone's side had conceded only six goals in seven Champions League games this season and 17 in 27 in La Liga before this game

The hosts constantly got the ball wide and terrorised Atletico full-backs Santiago Arias and Juanfran, but it was Bernadeschi's untracked run into the middle which put them ahead on the night. He crossed from deep for Ronaldo at the far post, who beat Juanfran in the air and powered beyond Wojciech Szczesny.

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Ronaldo missed a free header before the break but it took him less than three minutes of the second half to pull the hosts level on aggregate when he turned Joao Cancelo's cross towards the near post - a stunning save from Oblak could not prevent the ball crossing the line.

The onus suddenly shifted onto Atletico to attack, something they had given precious little thought to all game, but they had already wasted their only chance of the first half when an unmarked Alvaro Morata headed over from six yards.

Team news

Juventus made four changes from the side beaten 2-0 in Madrid, with Leonardo Spinazzola, Federico Bernadeschi and Joao Cancelo all excelling, and Emre Can also recalled.

The suspended Diego Costa was forced to miss out for Atletico Madrid, with Filipe Luis absent with injury.

Juventus huffed and puffed and looked like they were starting to run out of ideas themselves, especially following a reshuffle when Spinazzola was withdrawn with 25 minutes to go, but an inexplicable push in the back from substitute Correa on Bernardeschi gave them the perfect chance to seal a momentous comeback four minutes from time.

Ronaldo stepped up to score his 25th goal in 32 games against Atletico - who have now been knocked out of the Champions League by the team he has been playing for in five of the last six seasons.

Ronaldo: This is why Juve signed me

"This was why Juventus brought me here, to help do things that they have never done before. This is the mentality you need to win in the Champions League."

Image: Ronaldo said after the game: 'This is why Juventus signed me'

Opta facts

  • Juventus have progressed in a Champions League knockout match having lost the first leg for the first time since 2005-06 vs SV Werder Bremen.
  • Atletico Madrid are the fourth team in Champions League history to win the first leg of a knockout game at home by a 2-0 scoreline but fail to progress to the next round.
  • Atletico Madrid failed to land a shot on target in a Champions League game for the first time since December 2008 versus Marseille.
  • Juventus have lost only one of their last 10 home knockout matches in the Champions League (W7 D2 L1).
  • Ronaldo has scored eight Champions League hat-tricks, the joint-most in the competition alongside Lionel Messi.
  • Ronaldo has been directly involved in 77 goals in 77 Champions League knockout appearances (63 goals, 14 assists).
  • Ronaldo has scored 124 goals in the Champions League, more than Atletico Madrid have netted in the competition (118).
  • Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in 33 career appearances against Atlético Madrid; only against Sevilla (27) has he scored more.
  • Giorgio Chiellini is the fifth player reach 500 appearances for Juventus in all competitions after Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon, Gaetano Scirea and Giuseppe Furino.

What's next?

Juventus travel to Genoa on Sunday at 11.30am, looking to extend their current 18-point lead at the top of Serie A.

Atletico are playing catch-up in La Liga, and visit Athletic Bilbao on Saturday at 5.30pm as they look to close the gap to leaders Barcelona to three points.

The draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League is on Friday - click here for all the details.

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