3 things we learned from Juventus drawing against Real Madrid 1-1 and making the Champions League final

It was a match to remember for a long time, with battles all over the pitch and moments when it seemed like one side or the other had things locked up. In the end, it was Juventus coming out on top, earning a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu to send Real Madrid out of the Champions League with a 3-2 aggregate scoreline and moving on to the final in Berlin.

The decision was a controversial one to some -- there was clear, foul-worthy contact from Giorgio Chiellini on James Rodriguez, but it looked like Rodriguez heavily exaggerated that contact on his way down to the ground. In an era when many referees refuse to call a foul unless a player goes down, though, it’s hard to blame Rodriguez for making sure it was seen. What wasn’t controversial was Ronaldo’s finish on the penalty, sending Buffon to one side while curling it through the middle.

For awhile it looked like Madrid would be the next team to score, but it wound up being a former Madridista who got the ball in the back of the net, with Alvaro Morata haunting his former team again after scoring last week. Morata got on a loose ball after a free kick and stung it at goal, with his shot deflecting off Iker Casillas’ gloves and in to the net. Who at Real Madrid knew when they agreed to sell Morata to Juventus last summer that he would score two goals against them that would hurt them so badly?

That Morata strike restored Juventus’ aggregate lead and wiped out Real Madrid’s away-goal advantage, forcing Madrid to push harder than ever to score. With their lead back in place, Juventus were happy to sit back and absorb the pressure, with Max Allegri’s well-drilled squad reading the passing and running lanes Madrid were hoping to exploit and putting bodies in the way. That proved enough to frustrate Madrid and hold them at bay, giving Juventus exactly what they’ve been aiming at for years: a berth in a Champions League final.

Pirlo is a legend, and rightfully so. He’s a fantastic player who still has a lot of skill to offer even at 35 years young, but because the years still take a toll. He struggles against pace and power, two things Real Madrid have in abundance and use to their fullest potential. When Madrid were in possession, Isco and James Rodriguez made Pirlo look like a traffic cone, blowing past him with ease at the base of Juve’s midfield. When the Italians had the ball, Karim Benzema dropped back and hassled Pirlo, denying him the time and space on the ball that he’s used to getting. Effectively taking Pirlo out of the game like that left Juventus off-balance, and while they played well, not having his calm style as part of the side left them struggling to adapt.

2. Madrid played for a track meet, and it almost worked

Trailing by a goal on aggregate after the first leg, Real Madrid had two options: try to grab control and grind the match out, or go for an all-out track meet, racing up and down the pitch with Juventus. The former option would have played into Juve’s hands, with the Italian side’s midfield the stronger compared to Madrid’s, so Carlo Ancelotti elected to go for the track meet, relying on Madrid’s super pace and width to win the day. With Madrid leveling the aggregate scoreline early and creating almost all of the dangerous chances of the match, it looked like it worked -- but speed matters not on set pieces, and it was a Juventus set piece that decided the tie. By the end of the match, though, Madrid seemed to run out of steam -- several players, including Ronaldo, struggled to move in to spaces and look for opportunities, and it cost them dearly with Madrid chasing an aggregate equalizer.

3. This match surpassed the hype

With the Barcelona-Bayern tie getting pretty well decided after the first leg, the focus of the hype train slowly started to shift on to this match. Not only did the game live up to the expectations laid on it, it far exceeded them, bringing a number of thrilling attacks and heart-stopping moments at both ends of the pitch all day long. The opportunism of Juventus and the all-action desperation of Real Madrid made for one of the most exciting Champions League matches we’ve seen in a while, and no matter which way the match ended, it would have been hard to be upset at the result with how hard both teams fought. This kind of match was exactly what the Champions League is all about, and hopefully the final lives up to the bar this semifinal set.