Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri said his side's goalless draw was a deserved result, but admitted that he did not want to risk losing in their final Champions League group stage matchup.
Juve only needed a draw against the Spanish champions to ensure their place in the knockout stage. However, with Olympiakos winning their finals game, a loss for the Old Lady would have seen the Greek side go through instead.
"It's always complicated against Atletico, as they defend very well with tight lines, so it's not easy to find passes between the lines," Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.
"We risked on a few occasions, [goalkeeper Gigi] Buffon did very well in the first half with a save and we had chances too. In the second half we tried to win, but at the same time not risk losing. We didn't want to compromise a qualification I thought was thoroughly deserved, as we did not deserve to lose against Olympiacos and Atleti in Madrid.
"Of course we need to improve, as against these big clubs there are times when you have to defend and protect yourself -- something Atletico Madrid do for most of the game."
As group runners-up, Juventus will face one of the Champions League group winners, and Allegri picked out a few teams he'd like to avoid.
"The level of European teams is three or four who are far above the rest: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea," Allegri said. "The rest of us are battling and we are aware of our qualities. We can slowly improve our self-confidence and I think we have played a good group with undeserved away defeats in Athens and Madrid."
Atletico only needed a draw to win the group, and Juve's Carlos Tevez said it became "impossible to play" after the Rojiblancos tightened their defence in the second half. Still, the striker looked forward to the knockout phase.
"The Champions League starts now for us and I have no preferences on who we face in the next round," Tevez said. "Whoever we draw, we draw. The important thing for us was to get through to the knockouts.
"The coach always tells us that to win we need to suffer under pressure all together. We win with the sacrifice of everyone. This is the Juventus mentality."
Paul Pogba welcomed the opportunity to play Europe's elite teams, but warned Juventus will have to give everything they have to win the tournament.
"We are playing to go forward and that means facing the strongest teams in Europe. It's what we want," Pogba said.
"With the team we have today, we can go far. We also know that we have to give more and games are not easy, so we must give 120 percent. 100 percent isn't enough."