Champions League: How Real Madrid C.F. and Juventus F.C. shut their opposition
Real Madrid CF dominated Atletico Madrid to win 3-0 while Juventus FC managed a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Monaco.
In Short
- Real Madrid and Juventus have already put one foot in the final with their dominating victories.
- Real Madrid rode on Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick to beat their city rivals Atletico Madrid.
- Higuain scored a brace as Juventus beat Monaco 2-0.
The first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals are done and Real Madrid CF and Juventus FC have already put one foot in the final with their dominating victories over Atletico Madrid and AS Monaco on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Real Madrid rode on a milestone hat-trick by Cristiano Ronaldo to beat their city rivals Atletico Madrid 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Juventus had Gonzalo Higuain making himself big in front of the goal with his brace as the Italian outfit raked up a comprehensive 2-0 win over Monaco at Stade Louis II in Monaco.
REAL MADRID VS ATLETICO MADRID:
On Tuesday night, the Real Madrid talisman Ronaldo reached another milestone as he scored a total of 13 goals in the Champions League semi-finals, the most ever!
Real Madrid were in excellent touch at the comfort of their home while Atletico looked surprisingly subdued. Atletico managed only two shots on target in the entire game and that tells the story of the pitch best.
Tactical analysis:
Zinedine Zidane gave a start to Isco and made Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro sit a little deeper than usual. That allowed Isco and Ronaldo their space to dance around the forward line and create chances. The strategy of course worked wonders.
In the first half specifically, Ronaldo rolled back years with his tricks and pace on the wing that split the Atletico defence.
Zidane changed his plan back to his usual formation in the second half with the introduction of Asensio and Lucas Vasquez and with the poaching qualities of Ronaldo, that had its usual effect.
Conclusion:
A window of three goals is huge especially in a competition like Champions League and with the kind of depth that the Real Madrid squad have, Atletico will find it difficult to overturn the tie.
Nevertheless, the passion and spirit of Diego Simeone's men is such that they can never be written off. With their fans rallying behind them at home in the second leg, Atletico will want to bury the ghosts of all the past losses they have endured against Los Blancos in the Champions League and come out victorious.
MONACO VS JUVENTUS:
In the other game between Juventus and Monaco, the best defence is Europe certainly managed to shut the fiery Monaco attack and that too away from home.
Despite the likes of Radamel Falcao and the teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe, Monaco were unable to work their way through the Juventus wall of three and then their ever-present Gianluigi Buffon.
Tactical analysis:
Massimilliano Allegri opted for a three-man central defence with wing-backs on either side as Sami Khedira was suspended and Monaco held a physical advantage in the midfield.
What made Allegri's tactics better was the livewire of a performance that Dani Alves put up. His assists were decisive and his dynamic display made all the difference for Juventus.
Conclusion:
Juventus came into the semi-finals demolishing Barcelona with their first leg 3-0 advantage. Here, they again have put Monaco under a two-goal deficit.
Though Monaco are a quality side, Juventus last-man defence Buffon is just not getting old. Considering the form he displayed in the first leg, the second leg has become a bigger battle for Monaco.
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