Atletico Madrid and Astana played out a drab and rather uninspiring goalless draw in their Champions League encounter.
Fernando Torres had perhaps the game’s best chance in the first half while Atletico also hit the woodwork more than once, but they rarely looked like unpicking the dogged hosts.
Astana meanwhile made much of the running in the first half and got at the Atletico defence with the kind of regularity that should have concerned Diego Simeone but created few real chances and ran out of steam in the second half.
Simeone made three changes from the side that drew with Deportivo La Coruna, bringing in Guilherme Siqueira, Saul Niguez and Torres for Filipe Luis, Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco and Jackson Martinez.
Jan Oblak was the first goalkeeper really tested, clutching on to Dmitri Shomko’s well-hit drive, while most of Atletico’s threat came from corners, and the haphazard way in which Astana goalkeeper Eric dealt with them.
Astana’s direct approach – and the powerful running of Junior Kabananga – caused frequent problems for Atletico, who were turned around more than they would have preferred.
The hosts perhaps lacked the refinement to craft genuine chances but the first half-hour was far from the stroll along the artificial grass Atleti may have hoped for.
Torres had a respectable chance for his 100th Atletico goal when the Astana defence hesitated in dealing with a Juanfran diagonal and the veteran striker got there first but couldn’t direct the ball the right side of the post.
Koke struck the woodwork – the crossbar this time – with a free kick late in the half, from a wide angle that had Eric beaten, but that was as close as anyone came before the interval.
Diego Godin’s downward header drew the first save of the second half but the power was taken out of the Uruguay international’s effort by the bounce.
Half-chances came and went, the best perhaps the first real involvement for Antoine Griezmann, who dragged a shot wide from a tight angle, or may have been trying to find substitute Jackson Martinez at the far post.
Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco’s introduction gave Atletico some life but Eric wasn’t unduly tested until the very final seconds, and the sides had to settle for a point each.
Astana 0-0 Atletico
Astana: Eric; Anicic, B. Ilic, Postnikov, Shomko; Maksimovic, Kethevoama, Muzhikov (Zhukov 78); Canas, Dzholchiyev (Beisebekov 90), Kabananga (Shchotkin 80)
Atletico: Oblak; Juanfran, Jimenez, Godin, Siqueira; Saul (Carrasco 73), Tiago, Gabi, Koke (Oliver 82); Griezmann, Torres (Martinez 64)
Referee: Taylor [ENG]
