Juventus have made their first European Cup final since 2003 after drawing 1-1 with Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
Juve entered the second leg as the slight favourites to advance following a 2-1 win in the first leg last week, but a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty in the 23rd minute made it advantage Real Madrid.
Alvaro Morata came back to haunt his side in the second half, however, with the Spaniard, who left the Bernabeu for Juve last summer, netting the tie's decisive goal just before the hour.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action in Madrid.
Match statistics
REAL MADRID
Shots: 22
On target: 5
Possession: 53%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 11
JUVENTUS
Shots: 8
On target: 4
Possession: 47%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 7
Was the result fair?
Statistics rarely paint a false picture in football and the numbers are there for all to see. Real Madrid had 22 attempts to Juve's eight in Madrid, but more interestingly, the Spanish side only registered one more attempt (five) on target. Juve will argue that they restricted Los Blancos over the two legs, but when taking into account the number of opportunities that the hosts passed up in the second leg, it is difficult to say that they deserved to go out. Gareth Bale will take the brunt of the criticism for a number of misses in the second period, but he was not the only one in a white shirt who failed to produce his best. On another night, Real Madrid might well have taken this into extra time, but Juve's defensive rearguard proved strong enough.
When reviewing the tie over the two legs, Juventus will feel that they deserved it and that is difficult to argue against. The Italians were a shade fortunate to not secure a more comprehensive victory in the first leg and they entered the second with the correct attitude. The statistics reveal that they had to ride their luck at times, but the ball possession was almost equal, which is an indication of what type of game occurred. Real Madrid supporters will make a case for their side over the two legs and it would have some weight, but Juve deserve to be in the 2015 Champions League final.
Real Madrid's performance
There was some good news prior to the game in Madrid, with Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos both passed fit. Carlo Ancelotti also went for Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos at centre-back - leaving Pepe on the bench. It would be fair to say that there was a real sense of expectancy around the stadium in the hours leading up to kickoff and indeed in the first period. The hosts had five good chances inside the opening 20 minutes, but Benzema, Ronaldo and Bale all passed up decent opportunities to break the deadlock. Ronaldo did strike in the 23rd minute, however, when he converted from the penalty spot after Giorgio Chiellini had brought James Rodriguez to the ground inside the box. Juventus had their moments in the minutes that followed, but the chances continued to arrive for Real Madrid and indeed for Ronaldo and Benzema.
A 1-0 lead for Real Madrid was always dangerous, despite the fact that it would have taken them into the final. As expected, the early stages of the second period were extremely nervy, but Juventus did start to force the issue as the half developed, which eventually brought Morata's goal. Critics will blame Iker Casillas for a weak punch in the build-up to the goal, but Paul Pogba did well to win a header at the far post and Morata was on hand to fire past the Real Madrid goalkeeper. The hosts pressed for a second in the final 20 minutes and in truth, Bale could have had a couple, but the Welshman, alongside James, passed up some excellent opportunities. The frustration continued to grow late on, and Real Madrid became tired, which made the task a little simpler than Juventus would have imagined. They did create a lot of chances, but the overriding emotion will be disappointment and Ancelotti's future as manager will now be under scrutiny.
Juventus's performance
Juve entered the match knowing that they would more than likely need to score at the Bernabeu, such was Real Madrid's record at home in terms of goals. The Italians did not make the start that they would have wanted, with Bale and Benzema both coming close in the opening five minutes. The Serie A champions grew as the half developed, however, with Arturo Vidal bringing a good save from Casillas in the 14th minute.
The penalty incident was poor from Juve's point of view, however, with Chiellini clumsily bringing James to the ground inside the box. That provided Real Madrid with the perfect chance to move ahead in the tie and at that point, the Italians looked to be in trouble such was the home side's confidence. Gianluigi Buffon was forced into action on a number of occasions and the veteran goalkeeper answered the call. At the interval, it was still very much tie open at the Bernabeu, despite Real Madrid's lead.
The visitors had the first real chance of the second period when Vidal set up Claudio Marchisio just outside the box, but the midfielder was denied by a smart save from Casillas. Juve did have their goal just before the hour, however, when Morata came back to haunt his former club. When Juve needed their big players to step forward, that was the case. Pogba had a poor hour or so, but the Frenchman was excellent in the final 30 minutes, while Vidal and Carlos Tevez both put the leg-work in when it was needed.
As expected, Real Madrid went all guns blazing late on and Juve had to ride their luck, but the quality of their defending was exceptional. The statistics seem to suggest that Juve were under constant pressure in the Spanish capital, but aside from the latter stages, that was not really the case. There were doubts whether the Italian champions could compete at this level despite their excellent domestic form, but those questions have now well and truly been answered. It is Barcelona to come in Berlin on June 6.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Leonardo Bonucci: There was not really any individual that stood out to such an extent that they fully deserved this award, but Bonucci had a super game at the back for Juve. The 28-year-old made a number of crucial interceptions, while he was excellent in the air and composed in possession. His fellow centre-back Chiellini also had a strong game aside from a poor challenge which brought Real Madrid's penalty.
Biggest gaffe
Chiellini's clumsy challenge on James for the Real Madrid penalty looked as if it would cost his team, but unfortunately, Bale has to be mentioned in this section. It just isn't happening for the Welshman at the moment and that was again the case here. In fairness, Bale continued to put himself in the right positions, but he missed some excellent chances late on - including a point-blank header from a Ronaldo cross. The attacker's future is bound to be a talking point in the weeks ahead.
Referee performance
Referee Jonas Eriksson had a pretty solid game at the Bernabeu. The 41-year-old was correct to award Real Madrid a penalty in the first period, while he was sensible when distributing his cards, which has not always been the case with officials in these big European ties. There were a couple of decisions that Eriksson might have got wrong, but he did allow the play to flow whenever necessary.
What next?
Real Madrid: Due to the ongoing strike in Spain, Real Madrid currently have no more La Liga fixtures this season. However, if the situation is rectified this week, they will travel to Espanyol on Sunday.
Juventus: Italian champions Juve will travel to Inter Milan in Serie A on Saturday.
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