Juventus claimed a 2-1 victory against Spanish giants Real Madrid on Tuesday night at the Juventus Stadium in the Champions League semi-final first leg.
Ironically it was a former-Real Madrid player who opened the scoring for Juventus in Spanish international striker Alvaro Morata on eight minutes.
Morata’s strike-partner Carlos Tevez found space in the area and saw a low effort parried by Iker Casillas in the Real goal, only for Morata to score with the rebound.
Out of respect for the club he represented for four years there was little celebration from the striker.
Real could not cope with Juventus’ work rate. However, German midfielder Toni Kroos did see an effort well saved by Gianluigi Buffon. The visitors equalised on 27 minutes slightly against the run of play.
After good play from Isco, James Rodriguez found Cristiano Ronaldo at the far post with a pinpoint cross and the Portuguese forward made no mistake with his header.
The effort was Ronaldo’s 76th Champions League goal and took him to the top of the competitions all-time scoring chart, with rival Lionel Messi now one behind the Ballon d’Or winner.
Real came close to taking the lead, as James Rodriguez hit the bar with a close-range header from an Isco cross.
The home side regained the lead 12 minutes into the second half. Carlos Tevez was brought down in the Real area by Dani Carvajal and stepped-up to fire the penalty beyond Casillas in the Real Madrid goal.
Spanish striker Fernando Llorente had chances in the second half, but was unable to convert them. Juve will head to the Spanish capital for the second leg knowing that their narrow lead may not be enough to make it through to the final.
Can Juventus make it to the Champions League final?
