TURIN: Paulo Dybala scored from a near-impossible angle to give Juventus a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid 1-0 Tuesday and secure first place in its Champions League group.
On the stroke of halftime, Dybala curled in a free-kick from near the by-line. The shot was so powerful that goalkeeper Jan Oblak didn’t have enough time to raise his arms before the ball traveled inside the far post.
“It was a great goal, considering from where I took it,” Dybala said. “It seemed difficult.”
Juventus, which had already qualified for the knockout stage, has an insurmountable 13 points atop Group D. Atletico, which would have qualified with a win, is next with seven points. Bayern Leverkusen is third with six points after beating Lokomotiv Moscow 2-0, while the Russian club is last with three points.
Substitute Federico Bernardeschi nearly made it 2-0 for Juventus with a long, low shot that hit the post after the hour mark.
Also, Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt made a well-timed tackle to deny Angel Correa a clear shot on goal.
In the final round of group matches Juventus visits Leverkusen and Atletico hosts Lokomotiv.