Juventus vs Atletico Madrid LIVE result: Paulo Dybala's scorcher proves the difference
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Your support makes all the difference.Paulo Dybala curled in a free kick from the unlikeliest of angles to give Juventus a 1-0 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, which left the Spaniards with a battle to secure a round-of-16 place.
Juventus, already qualified, won the free kick just outside the penalty area and near the goal-line but the narrow angle did not deter Argentine Dybala who fired his shot over the wall and in off the crossbar in the 45th minute.
The Turin side, with 13 points from five games, made sure of winning Group D with one match to spare.
Atletico Madrid, beaten 3-0 on the same ground last season when they were on the wrong end of a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick, were left on seven points after their second successive defeat in the group, one ahead of Bayer Leverkusen.
Ronaldo, troubled recently by a knee problem, had a quiet game, avoided taking any free kicks and hurt himself when he kicked the corner flag trying to keep the ball in play, but did not appear to suffer an injury.
Atletico created the better chances despite having less possession.
Thomas Partey volleyed wide from outside the area and Saul Niguez headed over from close range when he should have done better, then forced Wojciech Szczesny to make a difficult save with a shot which went through a crowd of players.
Dybala, however, was a constant threat to Atletico and capped his display with a memorable goal just on the stroke of halftime.
Atletico continued to carve out chances after halftime but Matthijs de Ligt held the Juventus defence together and the Dutchman made a superb last-ditch tackle to deny Angel Correa a clear shot on goal.
The Mattress Makers squandered their best chance in stoppage time when Correa sent the ball across the face of goal, but Alvaro Morata, with an open goal gaping in front of him, failed to make contact.
Reuters
What time is the game?
The game kicks off at 8pm on Tuesday 26 November.
Where can I watch it?
The game is being broadcast on BT Sport Extra 2 with coverage getting underway at 8pm.
Subscribers can also stream the game live online via the BT Sport website.
What’s the team news?
Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to win his race to be fit for tonight’s game in a huge boost to Juve.
There is worse news for Douglas Costa and Matthijs de Ligt, however, with both likely to miss out.
Diego Costa misses out for the visitors after a neck operation but Saul Niguez and Thomas Partey are back after missing the weekend clash with Granada with suspension.
Predicted XIs
Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Rugani, Bonucci, Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi; Higuain, Ronaldo
Atletico: Oblak; Trippier, Felipe, Hermoso, Lodi; Koke, Saul, Thomas, Lemar; Correa, Morata
What are the odds?
Juventus 5/4
Draw 21/10
Atletico 12/5
Juventus 1-0 Atletico Madrid
86 minutes
A final change for Juventus: Sami Khedira replaces Bentancur.
Juventus 1-0 Atletico Madrid
88 minutes
The ball drops to Saul on the edge of the box after a Lemar cross is only half cleared. But the Spaniard's effort loops tamely over the bar.
Juventus 1-0 Atletico Madrid
90 minutes
There'll be four minutes of added time.
Juventus 1-0 Atletico Madrid
90+2 minutes
Juventus are dealing with everything Atletico throw at them. De Ligt has been exceptional at the back throughout.
Khedira appears to have a chance to seal the win at the other end, played in on goal and sending his finish straight at Oblak. The flag is up for offside anyway though.
Juventus 1-0 Atletico Madrid
90+3 minutes
Lemar collects the ball just outside the box and tries an ambitious shot. It flies over the bar and the Frenchman gets some looks of frustration from his teammates.
Juventus 1-0 Atletico Madrid
90+4 minutes
Huge chance! Atletico are almost level with seconds left. Felix slips a clever pass through to Lemar, who sends the ball across the face of goal. Morata looks certain to convert into an empty net but can't connect with it. He might have been offside, though.
And that's it! Juventus hold on for a narrow victory that means they will top Group D. It was a game lacking in quality, but a moment of brilliance from Dybala was enough to secure the points in the end. Atletico will be disappointed with their display; they were unusually lacklustre and still have work to do to ensure they qualify for the last 16.
And here's the stunning strike that won it for Juventus tonight.
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