The Breakdown: Celtic vs Juventus

By FOX SPORTS Staff

Juventus enjoyed the perfect start to the game when they took the lead in the third minute of the game when Alessandro Matri stole behind Efe Ambrose and slotted the ball in between the legs of Celtic custodian Fraser Forster.

Celtic however responded magnificently and came close to equalising several times, with Kris Commons coming closest via an improvised overhead kick which sent the ball just past the post.

The Bianconeri did well to soak up the pressure, then wrapped up the game in some style in the 77th minute when a devastating counter-attack ended with Marchisio firing a fierce shot which left Forster grasping at air.

And Celtic's brave resistance was well and truly ended five minutes earlier with Mirko Vucinic finishing calmly after having been set up by Marchisio.

Here, FOX SPORTS takes a look at the key moments from this clash at Celtic Park.

Celtic

Defence

If there was one chink in Celtic's wonderful performance, it was the below par display by Ambrose, who made several uncharacteristic errors, one of which proved costly when his indecision allowed Matri to sneak in behind him to score.

Apart from that however, Celtic's backline rarely had much to do and dealt with the twin threats of Vucinic and Matri with relative ease. Full-backs Izaguirre and Lustig were instrumental in helping their side keep the pressure on Juventus as they pressed high up the pitch and made numerous interceptions near the halfway line to prevent Conte's men from making headway into their penalty box.

Forster - 6| Lustig (59' off) - 7 | Wilson - 7| Ambrose - 5| Izaguirre - 7.5

Midfield

Celtic's midfield defied the pre-match expectations and dominated the middle of the pitch. Combining their graft, determination and boundless energy with a surprising amount of technical ability, Celtic's midfielders dictated the tempo of the game and ruffled the feathers of Pirlo and Vidal with their gritty display.

With the ever-reliable Wanyama positioned to sweep up behind the attacking third, Commons took full advantage of the subsequent freedom afforded to him and got himself into several dangerous positions in the box. Mulgrew, Forrest and Brown may not be the most technically proficient players, but they sure made their presence known with some full-blooded crunching tackles which deterred the Juventus players from taking too long on the ball.

Mulgrew - 7.5| Forrest - 7| Wanyama - 7| Commons (72' off) - 8.5| Brown (80' off) - 7.5

Attack

Hooper, pinpointed by Juventus manager Antonio as the 'key player' for Celtic before the game, certainly did not disappoint. The 25-year-old did remarkably well to lead the line on his own and used his aerial presence to torment Juventus' defence throughout the game. That Stephan Lichtsteiner was forced to pick up a booking from trying to mark Hooper too tightly during a set-piece tells one all they need to know about how much of a threat he was to the Bianconeri.

Hooper - 7

Subs

Lennon had very little to work with the limited options he had on his bench and the players he brought on were mostly tasked to harry the Juventus players and chase down every loose ball. In terms of influence on the game, all three substitutes failed to show why they deserved a place in the starting line-up.

Adam Matthews (59' on) - 6| Tony Watt (73' on) - 5.5| Beram Kayal (80' on) - 6

Juventus

Defence

It was not easy for Juventus' defence to deal with the aerial threat of Hooper in the box, and they initially struggled to contain the 25-year-old striker. In fact, the three-man defence looked a little porous and their slack defending allowed the likes of Commons and Hooper the opportunity to fire at goal. Celtic may have failed to really test Buffon, firing off several weak shots, but deadlier opposition strikers would have gleefully exploited the time and space afforded to them by Juventus' defence.

Buffon - 7| Barzagli - 6.5| Bonucci - 7| Caceres - 6.5

Midfield

Juventus' much vaunted midfield trio of Vidal, Pirlo and Marchisio sparkled only in flashes against Celtic's dogged pressing and tenacious tackling, but players of their quality need only one opportunity to make the difference, and so it proved again at Celtic Park on Tuesday.

Despite having seen lesser of the ball than they were accustomed to, both Marchisio and Pirlo used whatever possession they had effectively. It was Marchisio who got the all-important second goal for the Bianconeri when he ran onto a lovely flick by Matri, turned Brown inside out, and fired the ball into the net. Good interplay by Pirlo and Marchisio in midfield then saw the latter provide a fantastic through ball to Vucinic who made no mistake in a one-on-one situation and poked home Juventus' third goal.

 Lichtsteiner - 7| Vidal - 6| Pirlo - 7.5| Marchisio - 9| Peluso (68' off) - 6.5

Attack

Both Matri and Vucinic cut largely frustrated figures up front as they failed to make much of an impact on Celtic's well-organised defence for large parts of the game. Although both strikers were starved of service, they showed a ruthless streak in front of goal and made the most of the opportunities presented to them.

Matri got himself on the scoresheet, but his goal, while well-taken, certainly had more than a hint of luck about it as it only came about courtesy of an error by Ambrose. But there was nothing lucky about the way the 28-year-old set up Marchisio to score the Bianconeri's second goal; from a devastating counter-attack, the ball was worked to Matri at the edge of the penalty area, who with his back to goal, brilliantly flicked the ball into the path of the onrushing Marchisio, who made no mistake with the chance presented to him. And Vucinic virtually sealed his side's progress into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a calm finish after having been sent through by Marchisio.

Matri (81' off) - 8| Vucinic - 7.5

Subs

There was an undeniable twitter of anticipation around the stadium when Anelka was brought on late in the game to make his debut for the club, but given the limited amount of time he was on the pitch, the former Arsenal player did not make much impression. Pogba and Padoin had more game time under their belt but apart from a few crunching tackles from the latter, they were largely unspectacular.

Simone Padoin (69' on) - 6.5| Paul Pogba (81' on) - 6| Nicholas Anelka (86' on) - N/A