Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
Alvaro Morata was keen not to spoil the possibility of a return to Real Madrid when he opened the scoring against them for Juventus.
The 22-year-old attacker scored the opening goal in Turin as his current and former sides met in the first-leg of their Champions League semi-final.
But despite finding the back of the net in such a crucial tie, Morata opted not to celebrate his goal.
The Spaniard only left Real Madrid last summer and there is a strong chance he will return. As part of the €20m transfer, Real Madrid ensured they have a buy-back clause should they wish to exercise it.
Cheeky officials at Real Madrid also tried to put in a clause that would have stopped Morata playing against them if they met in European competition - only to be denied by Uefa.
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratingsShow all 22 1 /22Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Gianluigi Buffon Reliable and imposing as ever, Buffon was an assured presence between the sticks. Couldn’t do anything about Ronaldo’s opener. 7
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Patrice Evra The ex-Manchester United left back was solid at the back apart from a lapse in concentration for the first goal. Found it hard to get forward with Rodriguez pinning him back. 7
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Giorgio Chellieni The big centre half gave a performance which epitomised what he is all about; Strength, organisation and aggression. Didn’t give Bale or Ronaldo much to work off. 8
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Seb Lichtsteiner The Swiss international was composed as always and looked to get forward at every opportunity. Kept Isco quiet going forward as well. 8
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Christian Bonucci Another solid display from Bonucci. His positioning and aerial ability made him too much of a presence for the Madrid forwards to deal with. 8
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Andrea Pirlo Another typically tidy display from Juve’s mercurial maestro. Didn’t have the affect he usually brings but still controlled the tempo of the game. 7
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Sturaro Chased the Madrid midfield tirelessly and attacked with pace when Juve broke away. He could be a key player in the second leg. 7
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Claudio Marchisio Used his experience and stamina to aid his team’s defensive efforts and released Tevez impressively in the lead up to the first goal. 7
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Arturo Vidal The Chilean was classy on the ball and industrious off it. Never stopped for a minute and looked to probe Madrid at every opportunity. 7
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Alvaro Morata The ex-Madrid striker was excellent against his old club. His work ethic and tricky footwork tormented the away side. Couldn’t miss his goal. 8
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Carlos Tevez Set up the first goal, earned the penalty and scored it. Tevez was a man possessed, taking Madrid apart at every opportunity. 9
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Iker Casillas The Madrid keeper was sloppy in patches and will be disappointed not to have parried Tevez’s first half attempt away from Morata to avoid the first goal. 6
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Dani Carvajal Could’ve cost his team a place in the final after hauling down Tevez for the penalty and will be counting himself lucky not be have been sent off. 5
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Pepe Struggled to cope with the exploits of Morata and Tevez but seemed to be the only assured figure holding it together at the back for Madrid. 6
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Raphael Varane The highly rated defender looked well out of his depth tonight. Varane will be having nightmares about tonight for a while. Will need to improve hugely for the second leg. 5
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Marcelo The Brazilian full back had a game to forget. Failed to find a Madrid shirt for the majority of the first half and his defending wasn’t much better. 5
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Sergio Ramos Playing out of position, Ramos looked out of sorts for large periods of the game. Was overrun in midfield and failed to link play effectively up to the forwards. 5
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Toni Kroos The German maestro looked comfortable on the ball but failed to create many big chances. Resorted to shooting from distance most of the time. 6
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Isco Looked the most likely to create something out of the Madrid midfield but couldn’t find a breakthrough in the second half. Cut a frustrated figure. 7
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings James Rodriguez Created the first goal but other than that flattered to deceive. Showed clever movement and passing at times but didn’t make a huge impact after the first goal. 6
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Gareth Bale The Welsh wizard will come under more scrutiny after this performance. Bale didn’t threaten the Juve goal anywhere near enough. 5
Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Cristiano Ronaldo Went in front of Lionel Messi in the Champions League scoring charts but will take no other positives from tonight. Looked very isolated alone up front. 6
Juventus won the first leg 2-1.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies