Former Real Madrid starlet Alvaro Morata was on target for Juventus and connected well with fellow front runner Carlos Tevez to net two goals against the defending European Champions.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men looked ill prepared to handle the lightning-fast counter attacks that have been the key to Juventus’s tactical success in the campaign this season. They tormented the back lines of both Borussia Dortmund and Monaco in the knockout stage with the triple threat of Morata, Vidal and Tevez. In the quarter-finals the Italian champs looked slow and lacked creativity but a whole new side took to the pitch in Turin on Tuesday night.
Right from the starting whistle, the home side were pushing forward and caught Real Madrid still trying to settle in. Casillas came off his line to make a save, but it was enough to noticeably rattle the visitors. The hint of disorganization was enough for Juventus to push for an early goal, bombarding Casillas and out-possessing Madrid until the seventh minute when former Blanco Alvaro Morata put Juve on the scoreline. The finish was well-timed, but all of the artistry was in the build-up between the young Spaniard and Tevez. The Argentine striker struck the ball through the legs of an unassuming Varane, forcing a save from Casillas. Real’s goalkeeper was unable to hold on to the ball and the deflection was knocked in to the net by Morata.
The goal sent Real Madrid scrambling to establish themselves in the game and take advantage of the arsenal they have up top. Isco and James Rodriguez were fantastic in the midfield and German International Toni Kroos was the first one to really test Buffon with a cracker from outside the area. Juventus continued to look most threatening on the counter attack while the visitors relied on a slower buildup to get their chances at goal.
After several runs and a few chances from distance, Cristiano Ronaldo got the goal he had been waiting for when James Rodriguez’s cross found him open in front of Buffon’s goal. The young Colombian did well to knock a perfectly weighted ball into the area over the head of his marker and straight onto the head of Ronaldo. In spite of the brilliant organization in back for Juve, they couldn’t keep the magician James under control.
With the game tied 1-1, the pace picked up and both sides made pushes at goal. Real Madrid’s defensive line adapted to cope with the speed of Juventus’s counter attack and the Italians displayed a fantastic performance all over the pitch looking twice as confident and controlled as they did in both quarter-final legs against Monaco. Neither side found a breakthrough before the half.
Unfortunately for the neutral spectator, the pace of the game slowed considerably in the second half. Both teams seemed to have used all of the tricks they had hidden up their sleeves and the game opened up into a scrappy battle in the midfield. Ramos set the tone in the opening moments of the second half getting himself a yellow card when he fouled Tevez from behind. The Argentine was one of the only men on the pitch that still seemed ignited after the break remained a considerable thorn in Real Madrid’s side.
Real Madrid enjoyed much better passing spells than they had in the first half after being frazzled so early on. Ronaldo and Bale looked much more dangerous and Juventus conceded a few cheeky fouls to keep the speedy players from getting away. It was looking up for Madrid until Carvajal brought down Tevez on another rapid counter-attack by the home team. Vidal and Tevez were away on a break that had started right around the center-circle. The defender was lucky that he had Varane and Pepe at his back or else his yellow could have been a red. While all he needed to do was jockey Tevez and guide him to the line or delay until another defender could pitch in, he brought the Argentine down with a large push from behind and then a poor tackle to top it off. Juventus had a penalty. Tevez recovered from his foul well enough to step up and take the kick. With that, he scored a crucial goal for his side to bring to with them to Spain next week.
Juventus followed up their second goal by settling in once again to defend the lead. Ronaldo had a few glancing chances but with the legendary Buffon between the sticks for the home side, Real were unable to get another away goal. The one that they have secured could prove to be vital, and the stage has been set for a thriller at the Bernabeu.
