UCL: AS Monaco vs Juventus - Player Ratings
Juventus produced a typical Italian performance to squeeze out a goalless draw at France to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League. With the Italian champions defending resolutely, Monaco were not able to break them down. Apart from creating few scares, the French club offered little to threaten the experienced Italian counterparts. As a result, the match finished 0-0 and Juventus progressed through to the semi-final 1-0 on aggregate.
Let us look at how the players performed on the night:
AS Monaco
Danijel Subasic - 6/10
He hardly had much to do with Juventus sitting so deep. However, he did well whenever he was called upon to collect or clear crosses.
Fabinho - 7/10
He regularly surged forward to help his attackers and put in dangerous crosses in the opposition box. He was sound defensively.
Andrea Raggi - 6.5/10
Tevez stole the ball from Raggi deep inside his half in the first period, but fortunately, the Argentine failed to make most of it. Otherwise, he was solid in defence.
Aymen Abdennour - 7/10
He looked composed at the back by forming a good partnership with his defensive partner.
Layvin Kurzawa - 7/10
Like his full-back partner, Kurzawa offered great support on his flank. He showed his engine by running up and down the wing throughout the match.
Geoffrey Kondogbia - 7.5/10 (Man of the Match)
He was a commanding figure in the middle of the park. Kondogbia used his strength well to drive forward regularly to keep Monaco on the front foot. He also intercepted many passes and broke up a lot of attacks.
Jeremy Toulalan - 5/10
After being an injury suspect, Toulalan made a surprise start. However, it was pretty clear that he was not ready for action yet and Monaco rightly replaced him at the break.
Joao Moutinho - 6/10
Moutinho was at the heart of many things Monaco did. He was lively and instrumental in many attacks Monaco managed on the night without making a notable contribution.
Ferreira-Carrasco - 5/10
His deliveries in the opposition box were poor on the night and he was not able to create any noteworthy moment to threaten Juve defenders despite seeing plenty of the ball.
Bernardo Silva - 7/10
Bernardo Silva justified his selection with a lively performance. He looked a livewire for most parts of the game. He was involved in most of the attacks Monaco managed and was a constant thorn for Juve defenders.
Anthony Martial - 5/10
Martial was anonymous for most parts of the game. He was not able to create any proper chances nor able to link up properly with his teammates and he was rightly replaced in the second half.
Substitutes
Dimitar Berbatov (45') - 5/10
He was brought on at half-time to break the deadlock, but the former Manchester United man was unable to offer much. Apart from a couple of good link-up plays in the attacking third, Berbatov was not able to threaten the goal much.
Valere Germain (76') - 5/10
He came on to change the fortunes of his side, but was not able to do that.
Matheus Carvalho (87') – N/A
Hardly had any time to make an impact.
Juventus
Gianluigi Buffon - 7/10
Just like the reverse leg, Buffon was the busier of the two goalkeepers. However, that did not bother the 2006 World Cup winning goalie as Buffon was up to the task with yet another impressive performance between the sticks. His positioning and distribution was superb.
Stephen Lichtsteiner - 6/10
With Juve defending more, his priority was to defend more than attack and he did that really well. He also went forward occasionally.
Leonardo Bonucci - 7/10
He was a rock at the back of the defence and hardly put a foot wrong on the night with a solid performance.
Giorgio Chiellini - 7/10
Chiellini got an unnecessary early yellow card and was on check for most of the game. Since then, he was solid at the back and looked very composed. He also helped his teams passing game.
Andrea Barzagli - 7/10
He looked solid at the back and kept Monaco attackers under control.
Patrice Evra - 7/10
Apart from being caught out of position few times, Evra was composed at the back and went forward at times to help his attack. He also made a great clearance off the line at the start of the second half.
Claudio Marchisio - 6.5/10
He did a fine job in terms of defending as he sat in front of his defenders and was very solid. However, he didn't offer much in attack.
Andrea Pirlo - 7.5/10
Pirlo, yet again, defied the odds to be at the top of his game. He dictated the tempo of the game and was impressive in his distribution. He was unlucky to see his late free kick brush the top of the crossbar.
Arturo Vidal - 6/10
Vidal was not able to match his man of the match performance in the reverse leg. Nonetheless, he fought really hard for his team and defended valiantly without offering much in attack.
Alvaro Morata - 4/10 (Flop of the match)
Morata had a disappointing outing against the French club. Neither were his touches good, nor his passing effective and he was rightly replaced for Llorente in the second half.
Carlos Tevez - 6.5/10
Unlike his strike partner, Tevez was impressive with his work rate. He held the ball really well and initiated many attacks. However, he was not able to get on the score sheet.
Substitutes
Fernando Llorente (69') - 5/10
He came on for the ineffective Morata and used his height to good advantage. However, he couldn't do much to score a goal.
Roberto Pereyra (77') - 6/10
He was brought on to see out the game and did exactly what was required from him by putting in a good shift in defence. Apart from that, he injected some pace in the team.
Simone Padoin (90') - N/A
Hardly had any time to make a contribution.