Champions League: Simeone’s cojones and Ronaldo’s nightmare return to Madrid

Atletico Madrid 2 Juventus 0

There was plenty of drama in the Spanish capital last night as Atletico Madrid beat Juventus 2-0 in the Champions League round of 16 first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

Uruguayan defenders Jose Maria Gimenez and Diego Godin scored for the Spanish side and they could have had more but for the intervention of the video assistant referee (VAR).

Striker Diego Costa was awarded a penalty after being impeded by Mattia de Sciglio but replays showed the foul had occurred outside the box. Alvaro Morata later had a goal ruled out by VAR, but the frustration soon turned to joy as Diego Simeone’s side took control of the tie.

No ball games

Despite the victory, Atletico boss Simeone issued a post-match apology for the manner in which he celebrated Gimenez’s opening goal.

The Argentine grabbed his crotch as he celebrated with the fans, and he admitted it was “not a nice gesture”.

Asked why he had done it, Simeone said: “I did it as a player in Lazio-Bologna and I did it again to show our fans that we have cojones. It wasn’t aimed at the other team, I was turning towards our own supporters.

“It’s not a nice gesture, I admit, but I felt the need to do it. It was such a tough game, we fought so hard and Diego Costa worked really hard when he wasn’t 100% fit.

“To put in Costa and Koke after so long out you must have balls. I had to show what I was feeling. I can only apologise if anyone was offended, but I did it from the heart.”

Bad night for Ronaldo

Juventus’s former Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo had an off night on his return to the Spanish capital.

Whistled at by the Atletico supporters throughout the 90 minutes, Ronaldo reacted when the game was at 0-0 by holding up five fingers to signify his five career titles in the Champions League.

After the match the Portuguese striker walked through the mixed media zone and again he held up his five fingers. The Daily Express reports that when asked about his gesture, Ronaldo simply responded: “I have five Champions Leagues, you have none.”

Champions League results, fixtures and TV guide

Last-16 first-leg results

• Manchester United 0 Paris Saint-Germain 2 
• AS Roma 2 FC Porto 1
• Ajax 1 Real Madrid 2 
• Tottenham Hotspur 3 Borussia Dortmund 0
• Liverpool 0 Bayern Munich 0
• Lyon 0 Barcelona 0 
• Atlético Madrid 2 Juventus 0
• FC Schalke 04 2 Manchester City 3

Last-16 second-leg fixtures Tuesday 5 March

• Borussia Dortmund vs. Tottenham Hotspur (0-3 on aggregate; 8pm, live on BT Sport) 
• Real Madrid vs. Ajax (2-1 on aggregate; 8pm, live on BT Sport)

Wednesday 6 March

• FC Porto vs. Roma (1-2 on aggregate; 8pm, live on BT Sport) 
• Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester United (2-0 on aggregate; 8pm, live on BT Sport)

Tuesday 12 March

• Juventus vs. Atlético Madrid (8pm, live on BT Sport) 
• Manchester City vs. FC Schalke (8pm, live on BT Sport)

Wednesday 13 March

• Barcelona vs. Lyon (8pm, live on BT Sport) 
• Bayern Munich vs. Liverpool (8pm, live on BT Sport)