At the Stadio de la Ceramica, Juventus resumed their European campaign with an away fixture to Villarreal in the Champions League round of 16. It took Dusan Vlahovic less than a minute to score on his debut in the Europe’s elite competition, but the Bianconeri couldn’t maintain their lead, as Dani Parejo leveled the scoring for the Spaniards in the second half, leaving the two sides to settle their differences in the return fixture. So let’s take a look at the player ratings of the Juventus players who came out with a 1-1 draw against a reputable Villarreal side.
Juventus (3-5-2)
Wojciech Szczesny – 6
It was a night of ups and downs for the Pole goalkeeper. Although he made some crucial interventions in the first half, there were instances were he looked shaky with the ball at his feet. Moreover, he made no reaction in order to save Parejo’s shot.
Danilo – 6.5
The former Real Madrid was solid as ever at the back, but more importantly, it was his long ball that found Vlahovic in the first minute leading to Juve’s early opener.
Matthijs de Ligt – 7
Another commanding display at the back from the former Ajax captain who is slowly but surely becoming the De Facto leader of the Old Lady’s defenses. Made several crucial interceptions and chased Villarreal players all over the pitch.
Alex Sandro – 6
The Brazilian only lasted for 45 minutes and was nowhere to be found on the pitch following halftime. The left-back played a as part of back-three on Tuesday without looking out of place.
Juan Cuadrado – 6
It was a laboring performance from the 33-year-old who never stopped running up and down the right flank. Perhaps he didn’t create much upfront, but he managed to limit the danger of the Spanish left side.
Weston McKennie – 6
Another hard worker in Massimiliano Allegri’s lineup. Looked at ease as a box-to-box midfielder. Connected well with Cuadrado and made some decent runs towards the opposition’s area, but his finishing touch let him down on a couple of occasions.
Manuel Locatelli – 6
A solid if unspectacular performance from the former Sassuolo man who acted as a shield for the defense. Tried to surge forward at times, but sat deep for the majority of the match. Things only went downhill for Juventus following his exit.
Adrien Rabiot – 5
Another unconvincing display from the former PSG midfielder. Ran hard but produced very little. Failed to track Parejo’s run which led to the leveler, and was lucky not to receive his marching orders following a high challenge on Samu Chuckwueze’s knee.
Mattia De Sciglio – 5.5
The Italian wingback found it difficult against Chuckwueze’s dribbles early on. He then grew into the match, but his level regressed in the second period and almost cost his side dearly with some nervous moments on the ball.
Dusan Vlahovic – 7
In a match where Juventus produced so little, a deadly finisher was needed to score from half-chances, and that is exactly what the Serbian managed to do in less than minute of his first ever Champions League match. Spent the rest of the match starving for service, but almost grabbed a brace with a late shot that was denied by Rulli.
Alvaro Morata – 5.5
The Spaniard tracked back to help his teammates at times, but his contribution would have been more helpful upfront. Scuffed his shot wide in the first half, and fell down too easily following every challenge.
Substitutes
Leonardo Bonucci – 6
The veteran Italian replaced Alex Sandro after the halftime break and helped Juventus solidifying the backline, although it wasn’t enough to preserve a clean sheet.
Arthur Melo – 5.5
The Brazilian was introduced in the second half as the Bianconeri were desperate to hold the ball, but his impact was barely felt.
Denis Zakaria – N/A
Luca Pellegrini – N/A