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Champions League | Group Stage
Nov 5, 2013 at 7.45pm UK
 
RM

2-2

Vidal (41'), Llorente (65')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Ronaldo (51'), Bale (59')

Match Analysis: Juventus 2-2 Real Madrid

:Headline: Match Analysis: Juventus 2-2 Real Madrid: ID:116042: from db_amp
Sports Mole dissects the action as Juventus draw 2-2 with Real Madrid in their Champions League Group B fixture.

Juventus's Champions League qualification hopes have been left in doubt following a 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in Group B on Tuesday.

The home side deservedly led at the interval courtesy of a penalty from their Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal.

Madrid were level early in the second period when Cristiano Ronaldo found the bottom corner, before Gareth Bale made it 2-1 on the hour mark.

Juventus were level five minutes later, however, when Fernando Llorente headed past Iker Casillas from close range.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two European rivals.

Match statistics:

Juve:
Shots: 19
On target: 12
Possession: 46%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 10

Real Madrid:
Shots: 13
On target: 4
Possession: 54%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 7

Was the result fair?

In truth, Juventus should have been out of sight at the interval. The Italian outfit utterly dominated the first period in Turin, but led by just the single goal at the break. Madrid certainly improved in the second 45 minutes, however, and will feel that they did just enough to deserve a share of the spoils. Both managers will be pleased with what they saw this evening.

Juve's performance

The Italian champions dominated the first half against their Spanish opponents, but you just felt that they needed a two-goal lead to be comfortable. They struggled to match Madrid in the early stages of the second period, but showed character to recover from 2-1 and secure a point. The result leaves them bottom of Group B, but they still have a chance to make the knockout stages of the competition. If they perform at this level in their next two matches, it will surely be enough to see them collect six points.

Real Madrid's performance

Without sounding like a broken record when analysing Madrid, we saw the best and the worst of the La Liga side this evening. They have had problems defensively in the league in recent weeks and that was indeed the case in Turin. But for Casillas, the match might have been over at the interval. That said, Los Blancos were magnificent for much of the second period. It was another impressive night for Bale, meanwhile, as the Welshman put his side 2-1 ahead with a fine strike, which nestled in the bottom corner.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Iker Casillas: The Spanish international cannot get a game in the league at the moment, but he showed his credentials this evening. Twice in the first period he was called on to make world-class saves, before demonstrating his shot-stopping ability throughout the second period. I suspect there would be a few interested suitors if the veteran chooses to seek pastures new at the end of the season.

Biggest gaffe

Juventus defender Martin Caceres had an absolute horror in the early stages of the second period when he presented the ball to Karim Benzema, who found Ronaldo inside the box. The Portuguese did not pass up the opportunity as he slid his effort into the bottom corner to level proceedings. Until that moment, the home side had been comfortable in defence.

Referee performance

Howard Webb had a successful night in Turin. The Englishman's decision to award Juve a first-half penalty was a good one, with replays showing that Raphael Varane caught Paul Pogba inside the box. He issued just the four yellow cards in a high-tempo European encounter, while he was prepared to let the match flow in the correct areas.

What next?

Juve: The Italian champions lock horns with Napoli in Serie A on Sunday evening.

Real Madrid: Madrid also return to domestic action this weekend with a home fixture against Real Sociedad.

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