Carlo Ancelotti spent the least successful spell of his storied managerial career at Juventus and a return to Turin last night proved no more enjoyable.
Real Madrid entered their Champions League semi-final as favourites but they may go into the return leg as underdogs.
They certainly have a deficit, as well as a reminder that Juventus are again a force to be reckoned with in the European game. Max Allegri’s side have been crowned Serie A champions for a fourth successive season, but their horizons have expanded.
Last night they played with the ambition of a team intent on making a mark on a bigger stage and threaten to end Real’s hopes of becoming the first team in a quarter of a century to successfully defend the European Cup.
Juventus benefited from the hustle and bustle of the match-winner Carlos Tevez, the enduring class of Andrea Pirlo and the intelligence of manager Allegri, whose tactics ensured they invariably had a numerical overload in a midfield where Sergio Ramos endured an awkward evening for Real.
He was just settling into unfamiliar duties when Juventus were rewarded for an upbeat start with an early lead.
Arturo Vidal and Alvaro Morata had already squandered chances before Iker Casillas only managed to parry Tevez’s low drive into the path of his former team-mate. Morata, the striker Real sold last summer, had a tap-in.
Parity was restored as Real regained their poise and Cristiano Ronaldo edged back ahead of Lionel Messi as the competition’s all-time top scorer.
His 76th Champions League goal, was his 54th in all competitions this season and ranked as one of the simplest.
The Portuguese was allowed to head in to an unguarded net after James Rodriguez picked him out with a hooked cross.
Real’s wide midfielders were not really wingers, but prospered when they used the channels.
Isco emulated Rodriguez with a clever cross from inside the penalty area and the Colombian flew at it but his diving header bouncing back off the bar.
If that suggested Real were taking the initiative, Juventus emerged after the break with renewed purpose and considerable menace on the break.
Tevez surged away on a counter-attack with trademark persistence and Dani Carvajal was lured into a challenge that brought down the Argentine, who then got up to convert the penalty.
Both managers then made significant switches. Ancelotti brought on another striker, in Javier Hernandez. Allegri countered by introducing a third centre-back, in Andrea Barzagli.
Both switches may have provider a pointer for next week’s second leg.
Juventus’ defensive skills will be put to the test in the Bernabeu and Ancelotti’s prospects of keeping his job, let alone winning a record fourth Champions League, may depend on his ability to produce a better answer to the questions his old employers raised.
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