02 October 2014
It was a case of what might have been but wasn't for Juve tonight. They matched Atletico Madrid on Spanish soil, forcing their opponents to play a waiting game in their own den but ultimately were undone by a couple of errors.
After the match, Massimiliano Allegri said: "We turned in a good performance here but didn't get enough shots in and conceded the goal from the rare mistakes we made. It's a shame because we came here to win but couldn't pull it off."
The manager admitted: "They're not an easy side to play against. They close down all the spaces and defend very well. In the second half we created a few decent openings but couldn't pick out the right pass in the final third, so we leave with nothing to show for our efforts."
He went on: "It was never going to be easy to get a win here. We tried to take the sting out of them by keeping hold of the ball. They're a team that play in bursts: they try to rush you and are always straight onto the second balls. That was something we needed to deal with and I think we did well, apart from on those two or three occasions when we made mistakes."
Allegri further emphasised the strength of tonight's opposition: "They're a powerful side who like to make a battle of it and they commit lots of fouls over the course of the match. They were playing at home but didn't dictate the flow of the game. We needed to make sure we weren't left open to their counter-attacks and by and large the lads did that well, even if it meant having a few less shots."
Looking ahead to the remaining group fixtures, he continued: "The group is very open because Malmo beat Olympiacos. We weren't able to stake our claim for a qualification spot tonight but we're still well in the mix."
The coach then replied to a final question about Juve's next opponents as domestic duties beckon once more. Joint league leaders Roma are the visitors this weekend: "We go into the game on form. We haven't conceded in our five league matches. Tonight's defeat certainly won't change our mood or our approach."
