Juventus vs AS Monaco - Player Ratings
Juventus travel to France for the second leg with a single goal lead. With the match goalless, Alvaro Morata was brought down in the box in the second half to gift Juve a penalty. Replays showed that the contact, if any, was made just outside the box. Arturo Vidal coolly converted the controversial spot kick to give the Italian champions a narrow advantage. With Juventus never having won a knockout match in France, the tie is set up perfectly for the second leg.
Let us look at how the players performed on the night:
Juventus
Gianluigi Buffon – 7.5/10
Surprisingly Buffon had a lot to do on the night and he went about his job with relative ease. He was a commanding figure at the back.
Stephen Lichtsteiner - 7/10
He was a constant threat on the right flank. He was always prepared to go forward to help his attackers and neither did he ignore his defensive duties.
Leonardo Bonucci – 7/10
He struggled initially as Monaco enjoyed lot of joy, but he gradually grew into the game and was solid at the back.
Giorgio Chiellini – 7.5/10
He formed a good partnership with Bonucci and was solid at the back. He also helped his team build the game from the back with his passing.
Patrice Evra – 6/10
He looked lively by moving up and down the pitch regularly. However, his final ball let him down and he also gave the ball away a few times to put his team under pressure.
Claudio Marchisio – 6.5/10
He was very solid while sitting in front of his defenders. Marchisio also went forward occasionally to help his attackers.
Andrea Pirlo – 7.5/10
Pirlo proved that for him age is just a number with an impressive performance. He dictated the tempo of the game and it was from his wonderfully timed cross that Juventus won the penalty.
Arturo Vidal – 8/10 (Man of the match)
Even though he looked lively, Vidal’s shots were wayward. However, he made up for it with a well-taken penalty and gave an industrious display on the night.
Roberto Pereyra – 6.5/10
He maintained his energy throughout the game and kept the Monaco players on their toes. However, his end product could have been better.
Alvaro Morata – 6/10
He wasn't at the same level he was against Dortmund in the previous leg. Nonetheless, he was a constant threat while going forward and won the penalty from which Vidal scored.
Carlos Tevez – 6/10
Tevez had a glorious chance in the first half, but his scuffed shot rolled straight into the keeper’s arms. Apart from that chance, he did not have many opportunities, but he still ran the Monaco defenders ragged.
Substitutes
Andrea Barzagli (74') – 6/10
He came on to see out the game for Juventus and he did his job well.
Alessandro Matri (83') – N/A
Hardly any time to make an impact.
Stefano Sturaro (87') – N/A
Hardly any time to make an impact.
Monaco
Danijel Subasic – 7/10
He couldn't have done much with the penalty. Otherwise, he looked composed in between the sticks when dealing with crosses or shots.
Andrea Raggi – 7/10
He was solid in defence and also helped his side while attacking corners. However, he offered little in attack from the flank.
Ricardo Carvalho – 6.5/10
The former Real Madrid gave the penalty from which Juve scored. Otherwise, he was a commanding figure at the back of the Monaco defence.
Aymen Abdennour – 7/10
He formed a good partnership with his defensive partner and looked composed at the back.
Layvin Kurzawa – 7/10
He looked solid while defending on his flank and he surged forward regularly. However, he missed a great chance early on in the match from a corner.
Fabinho – 6/10
He sat in front of his back-line and offered good protection to them. He, however, did not offer much in the other end of the pitch.
Geoffrey Kondogbia – 7/10
He was a commanding figure in the middle of the park. He intercepted many Juventus passes and broke up a lot of attacks to initiate counter-attacks for his team.
Nabil Dirar – 7/10
He defended reasonably well for his team by tracking back on numerous occasions, but he did not offer much in attack except for a few odd moments.
Joao Moutinho – 6/10
Moutinho wasn't at his usual best. He did well to initiate many counter attacks for the French club, which failed to yield an output. He did help his team defend on the night.
Yannick Ferreira Carrasco – 7/10
He had a glorious chance at the start of the match, but he hit his shot straight at Buffon. Despite the setback, he never stopped trying and was attacking with purpose all night long and kept the home side’s defenders busy.
Anthony Martial – 6/10
Even though he did not score, Martial did well up-front to link up with his teammates and his pace was an useful asset. He was unlucky not to get a penalty in the first half.
Substitutes
Bernardo Silva (51’) – 6/10
He looked a live wire after coming on as a substitute. His touches and positioning were really good. Buffon had to make a good save to deny him late in the game.
Dimitar Berbatov (71') – 5/10
He was brought on to help change the scoreline, but the former Manchester United man was unable to offer much. To make matters worse, he missed a glorious chance immediately after coming on.
Matheus Carvalho (87') – N/A
Hardly spent any time on the pitch to make an impact.