When Juventus needed a striker with ice in his veins, Carlos Tevez answered the call. This pulsating Champions League semi-final was balanced precariously when the Juventus striker tore into the Real Madrid penalty area and was tripped by Dani Carvajal. The English referee, Martin Atkinson, was correct with his penalty award.
Tevez’s heart must have pounded and plenty of thoughts might have crowded into his head. This was pressure of the most extreme kind. But he found focus and he never looked like missing. He did not, his clever run disguising his intentions and the finish flying beyond Iker Casillas. This arena erupted. Juventus have something serious to take to Madrid for the second leg.
On an evening laced with sub-plots, Álvaro Morata, the Madrid-born, former Real striker – who played as a substitute in the Spanish club’s Champions League final victory over Atlético last season – had opened the scoring. He refused to celebrate. Tevez had provided the assist.
Madrid’s equaliser, inevitably, came from Cristiano Ronaldo – a close-range header – which was his 54th goal of the season. It also put him clear of Lionel Messi on the all-time Champions League scoring chart with 76. Yet his side will rue the moment when James Rodríguez crashed a header against the crossbar on 42 minutes when he should have scored and, although they will not despair at the result, it felt as though their performance had more negatives than positives.
Sergio Ramos laboured in defensive midfield while Gareth Bale, having just returned from a calf injury, was peripheral. When he did have the ball, he played it too safe and Carlo Ancelotti, the Real manager, was forced to defend him. “Bale was tired, he’s just back from an injury,” Ancelotti said.
It was a hugely enjoyable game, and Juventus deserved their advantage purely because of their energy and spirit of adventure, which was epitomised by Tevez, who won the Champions League with Manchester United in 2008 but admitted that he feared such nights would not return for him. In four seasons at Manchester City between 2009-13, he failed to score in the Champions League. He now has seven European goals this season.
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Juventus fed on the raucous passion in the stands and the only disappointment for them was when the substitute Fernando Llorente fluffed an injury-time header from Andrea Pirlo’s free-kick. It was a presentable chance, the sort that the centre-forward tends to put away, and the thought occurred that Juventus might live to regret the miss.
Massimiliano Allegri, the Juventus manager, hopes to have the midfielder Paul Pogba back from a hamstring injury for the return leg next Wednesday, and said that his team would have to play even better. “We have laid the foundations but we have to deliver a masterpiece in Madrid,” Allegri said. “We’ll certainly have to score over there.”
There had been the pre-match suggestion that caution might hold sway in the early exchanges but Juventus emerged seemingly intent on blowing the bloody doors off. Morata’s goal was reward for their urgency although, from a Madrid point of view, it was a disaster.
Tevez was given yards of space and when Casillas could only parry his low shot, Morata was on hand and onside to tap home. Moments earlier, Morata had nearly lobbed Casillas while at the very outset, the outstanding Arturo Vidal had been narrowly snuffed out by Pepe.
Madrid kept their cool in the face of the storm and, gradually, they chiselled out a foothold. Ronaldo had blasted a fifth-minute free-kick into the wall but, with Toni Kroos and Isco to the fore, the defending champions began to manipulate the ball with purpose. Kroos worked Gianluigi Buffon from distance; Raphaël Varane headed over and Ronaldo, from Isco’s pass, sliced through the inside left channel only to drag his finish badly.
The equaliser had been advertised and it came when Rodríguez showed wonderful technique to cross from the right. Ronaldo could not miss from two yards. Rodríguez, though, was frustrated when he could not divert Isco’s cross home from point-blank range.
Ancelotti would lament how his players “made more mistakes than usual because of the pressure Juventus put us under” and the inquest into the decisive goal promised to be ugly. After a Kroos corner was cleared and Marcelo’s shot was blocked, Juventus broke with two-on-two. It was remarkable to see the champions so exposed.
Marcelo cynically took out Morata yet Tevez scuttled on and Carvajal abjectly failed to check him. Worse, he was deceived by a burst of pace from Tevez and sent him sprawling. The only surprise after the penalty award was that Carvajal was not booked. He would be on 78 minutes for a lunge at Morata.
Allegri switched to five at the back after 64 minutes and there were one or two nervous moments for his team. Yet the full-time whistle brought a surge of excitement. Playing like this, Juventus can dream of glory.
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