Juventus edged out Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League clash and one tight decision may well have played a key part in the overall semi-final fixture.
On 56 minutes ref Martin Atkinson adjudged Real Madrid full-back Dani Carvajal guilty of bringing down Juventus striker Carlos Tevez in the box, though surprisingly didn’t even warrant the challenge worthy of a yellow, let alone a red, card.
See the incident below.
It can clearly be seen that Carvajal is the last defender between Tevez and Casillas, and as such if the offence is deemed a foul by English official Atkinson, then one would have to then surmise Carvajal has prevented a clear goal scoring chance.
Atkinson’s decision to not order off Carvajal may have prevented Juventus from adding to their goal tally in the final half an hour, which could prove crucial when Massimiliano Allegri takes his side to the Spanish capital with just a single goal lead to defend.
Tevez calmly slotted home the penalty-kick.
Alvaro Morata, a former Real Madrid player, had handed Juventus an early lead after Iker Casillas had parried Carlos Tevez’s original effort.
Cristiano Ronaldo leveled on 27 minutes, his ninth goal in the Champions League this term and 54th in all competitions, finding the net after a neat assist from James Rodriguez.
The tie is now finely balanced ahead of the second leg though Allegri may be left wishing his side could have extended their lead further.
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