WITH one half of their UEFA Champions League semi-final tie left to play, Juventus have the lead.

The 2-1 win in the first leg of their last-four clash against defending champions Real Madrid on Tuesday not only dispelled doubters who saw them as the weakest team left in Europe’s premier club competition but would’ve also reaffirmed belief in Massimilano Allegri’s side that they can go all the way to Berlin, the venue for the final, and maybe even win it.

Having won their fourth successive Serie A title over the weekend, Juve are on course for a first treble by an Italian side since Inter Milan five years ago having also reached the final of the Coppa Italia against Lazio.

But despite their dominance of Italian football in the last four years, they were unable to make a splash in Europe. While Real were winning their 10th European Cup title last season, two-time European champions Juve had already crashed out at the group stage.

A year earlier, they had crashed out in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Bayern Munich. That season marked their return to the competition after a gap of two years, coming in as Italian champions after two seasons of struggle in Serie A.

Club legend Antonio Conte was the man behind Juve’s revival with the former midfielder returning as coach after two successive seventh-placed finishes in the league. In his first season, he guided the club to the title.

But for a side which was a major force in European football in the 1990s, the two-year hiatus meant lack of experience at the top level. Conte’s naivety showed too and after each European disappointment he was left ruing the club’s ability to financially compete with the likes of Real, Bayern and Barcelona for top players.

Enter Allegri. At the start of this season, a frustrated Conte left Juve to take over as the coach of Italy’s national team. And when the Juve board appointed Allegri, sacked midway through last season by AC Milan, there was resentment amongst the fans.

But Allegri has won them over, showing tactical nous to help Juve compete on all three fronts – something fan-favourite Conte had been unable to do.

And on Tuesday night at the Juventus Stadium, in their first semi-final since 2003 when they incidentally also knocked out Real who were then holders, Allegri’s Juve served notice of their European credentials.

Juve had dumped a Borussia Dortmund side, on the wane since reaching the Champions League final two years ago, in the last-16 before a stubborn defensive display saw them dispose of AS Monaco in the quarter-finals.

Real were their big test and Allegri pulled off a surprise in his starting line-up, handing Stefano Sturaro his first Champions League start ahead of the pacy Roberto Pereyra.

Sturaro – recalled from Genoa, where he was on loan, in January – slotted in perfectly alongside Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio and even had a shot on goal in a strong start by Juve as they largely neutered the treat of Real’s star-studded line-up featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez.

Former Real striker Alvaro Morata tapped in the opener in the ninth minute but after Ronaldo levelled before the half hour mark, Juve seemed to drop their intensity.

Allegri’s pep talk during the break seemed to do the trick with Carlos Tevez winning and converting a penalty in the 57th minute before Juve held on — a bloodied Giorgio Chiellini an embodiment of the spirit of Allegri’s side.

Ninety minutes remain between Juve and a spot in the final on June 6.

“I wouldn’t want to be Juventus next week,” Real assistant coach Paul Clement told ITV, warning them of a Real backlash at the Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday.

Juve have shown they belong amongst Europe’s footballing elite, the way they belonged in the 1990s when they reached three successive finals on the trot.

“We sent the message that we are here,” Pirlo told Sky Italia after the mach. “We want this final and we’ll fight to the end in Madrid too.”

Allegri’s plans have been faultless so far. He needs another one of those in Madrid.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2015

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