Juventus established a 2-1 advantage over Real Madrid at the midway point of their Champions League semi-final – but it really should have been more.
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Apart from a 20 minute spell at the end of the first half, the Italian champions were clearly superior and deserved their victory which came through on-loan Madrid striker Alvaro Morata and a Carlos Tevez penalty.
Cristiano Ronaldo equalised in between, but this was a poor performance from the trophy holders, who will need to significantly improve to turn the tie around back at the Bernabeu next Wednesday.
Carlo Ancelotti’s selection and tactics will also be questioned after a disjointed display which fizzled out badly towards the end. In particular, the decisions to field Sergio Ramos in midfield and Gareth Bale as a striker backfired with both well off the pace of the game.
Not only a win for Juventus, a win for all of Italy! Its been 5 years since an Italian team has done something important! #DaiDaiDai
— Marco Messina (@Marcocalcio22) May 5, 2015
Madrid’s sloppy mood was evident in the very first minute, when a poor kick out by Iker Casillas gifted possession to Claudio Marchisio and his forward pass very nearly created a shooting chance for Arturo Vidal.
Casillas again looked shaky when Tevez was given space to arrow a low long-range shot which was half-fumbled by the Madrid captain before he gratefully gathered the loose ball.
And another warning sign came when Morata ran onto a bouncing ball and attempted to lob Casillas, who momentarily looked stranded before scampering back to save.
Following Juve’s fast start, it was no surprise when they took the lead. After neat build-up play Marchisio was given space in midfield to find the unmarked Tevez, who had time to control and turn before firing a low shot which Casillas could only parry straight into the path of Morata for a simple close-range finish.
It had been a dreadful opening 10 minutes for the visitors, who were looking off the pace and unable to cope with Juve’s intense pressing and purposeful passing, with Tevez’s movement often creating an extra man in midfield.
But Los Blancos gradually got themselves back into the game, with Gigi Buffon saving long-range strikes from Toni Kroos and Isco before Ronaldo ran onto Isco’s pass but could only drag his shot wide.
The leveller came with Madrid’s first sustained spell of possession, which concluded with Dani Carvajal finding James Rodriguez and the Colombian deftly lofting a cushioned chip perfectly into Ronaldo’s stride for an easy headed finish.
That helped further turn the flow of the game in the Spanish side’s favour, and the remainder of the first half was a complete reversal from the early stages with now Juve looking tired while Madrid were comfortable.
And they should have taken the lead before the break when a superb flowing move resulted in Isco delivering a left-wing cross and James launching a close-range header which somehow flew against the bar, before Marcelo bounced the rebound onto the roof of the net.
The second half started with Tevez shooting straight at Casillas as Juve tried to respond, and the game soon turned again with a dramatic burst of action as Marcelo had a shot blocked following a corner and the hosts quickly broke, with Tevez racing half the length of the pitch to surge into the area and draw a rash, and wholly unnecessary, challenge from Carvajal.
It was a clear penalty, with Carvajal perhaps fortunate to avoid a red card, and Tevez stepped up to fire his spot-kick down the middle as Casillas dived fruitlessly to his left.
Following the maxim that goals change games, regaining the lead swung the contest back in the re-energised hosts’ favour. Sensing his team needed a change, Carlo Ancelotti made a substitution but his introduction of Javier Hernandez made little difference, especially when opposing boss Massimiliano Allegri quickly countered by switching to a defensive back five.
Indeed, it was Juve who looked more likely to score again in the latter stages, with substitute Fernando Llorente twice scuppering good opportunities.
Llorente’s pace took him past Casillas after the keeper ran out to clear, but there were no takers from his cutback deep on the right byeline as he ran out of angle following Raphael Varane’s error.
The susbstitute then went close again at the death when he managed to connect with an Pirol free kick on left only for Casillas to scramble and collect.
