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The first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 32 ended Wednesday with Juventus heading to Atletico Madrid where Schalke hosted Manchester City. Cristiano Ronaldo failed to terrorize his rivals from the old city, while the central defensive duo of Atletico, Uruguay, scored in a surprisingly deserved victory 2-0. In Germany, Schalke scored two penalties to take a 2-1 lead, but goals from Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling allowed City, 10 players, to take 3-2 on the road. Here are the points to remember from the two exciting games:
Resilient city in great shape to move on
It seemed that City would be defeated 2-1, especially after the red card against Nicolas Otamendi at the start of the second half. But the club did well to match, scoring two fantastic goals to win and pocket three goals on the outside.
City took advantage only 18 minutes later, thanks to Sergio Aguero who had capitalized on an error, but Nabil Bentaleb scored two goals in 7 minutes to allow Schalke to take the advantage 2-1.
Then, five minutes from the end, Sane punished his former team for an absolutely delightful free kick.
Then, in the 90th minute, goaltender Ederson got the help of a crazy ball for Sterling, who pushed back his defender and finished serenely:
This result puts City in a fantastic position. If they avoid defeat, they move on to something else. They can also lose 1-0 or 2-1 and move on because of goals on the outside.
Returning with 10 guys has been as impressive as we've seen recently (aside from beating Chelsea 6-0), and this allows them to take the driver's place to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Atleti deserved the win and could have had more
Atletico Madrid has had a bad time lately. They had a shocking defeat at Real Betis and then crashed at home against rival Real Madrid. But welcoming Ronaldo to the Spanish capital on Wednesday is a result they will not soon forget. Both teams had opportunities, both teams focused more on the defensive side and when we had the impression that we were going to have another draw 0-0, Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin both scored on stopped plays, a game that Juve usually has no difficulty defending.
Juventus did not look like a candidate and is now in trouble
Maybe domination in Serie A does not prepare this team for tougher competition. Juve lost to Manchester United, then poor, in the fall, but also Young Boys. And here, again, the team does not look very clear. In addition to some good chances, Juve had problems moving the ball on the flanks. While Godin and Gimenez were performing their duties in the middle of the defense, Juve was looking for his centers in the box but could not really produce much.
In order to get at least one goal on the road, Juve returns home empty-handed and in trouble. If Atleti scores only one goal, Juve will need three to score four.
Will Diego Simeone lead in the second leg?
Watch for Atleti coach Diego Simeone. After Atletico scored, he went with the a striking celebration between the legs right in front of the camera. He has not sanctioned the official, but it will be interesting to see if UEFA decides to fine it or possibly suspend it. This seems rather unlikely.
Simeone was suspended for the Europa League final and UEFA Super Cup last season for speaking aggressively to an official. Therefore, it is safe to say that he is in the radar of the UEFA. They will probably take a look and discuss some sort of punishment. If anything, it would probably just be a fine. But he is likely to receive a reminder from the club's leaders to try to calm himself a bit on the sidelines.
Atleti will travel to Juventus for the second leg on 12 March, and the Champions League matches can be streamed on fuboTV (Free Trial).
Relive the action of Wednesday's UCL
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