18 March 2015
A Carlos Tevez double and Alvaro Morata strike sent the Bianconeri marching on through to the Champions League quarter-finals with this evening’s magnificent 3-0 success (5-1 on aggregate) over Borussia Dortmund in Germany.
The initiative was immediately seized with three minutes on the clock. There was seemingly little danger on when Tevez picked the ball up outside the box, although the Argentine assassin had other ideas, dispatching a clean strike that flew past Roman Weidenfeller from all of 25 yards.
As Dortmund attempted to muster a fightback by committing further bodies forward in the second half, Juventus pounced again, with goalscorer turning provider to present Morata with the simplest of finishes from a matter of yards.
Further gloss was added to a spectacular team performance when Tevez confidently smashed a right-footed strike past Weidenfeller in the encounter’s closing stages to seal the Bianconeri’s second Champions League quarter-final spot in three years.
A better start to proceedings the Bianconeri could not have wished for. Just three minutes were on the clock when Tevez picked up the ball outside the area, lifted his head and sent a 25-yard rocket cannoning past Weidenfeller, prompting manic celebrations from the travelling faithful over in the far corner.
Stung by the early opener and in need of at least two goals to force extra time, Dortmund began to control possession and probe for a way past the Bianconeri back four.
But it was on the counter where Juventus remained dangerous, and Stephan Lichtsteiner went close to a second on 15 minutes, seeing his drive tipped behind by Weidenfeller following a purposeful gallop down the right flank.
Midway through the first half Massimiliano Allegri was forced into a change, introducing Andrea Barzagli to the fold in place of Paul Pogba, who departed the action limping after taking a knock.
The substitution also prompted a shift in formation, with Barzagli slotting in on the right-hand side of a three-man backline and Arturo Vidal moving across to the left of a midfield three.
Dortmund continued to boss the game possession-wise, increasingly favouring crosses from either flank into the box as their main route of attack, but the Bianconeri held firm to protect their advantage going into the break.
Their lead could even have been extended moments into the restart when Tevez slipped Morata through on goal, only for the Spaniard’s dinked effort to be smothered by the onrushing Weidenfeller.
Minutes later the duel was renewed when Morata found himself in an identical position to dispatch a low strike towards the bottom corner, repelled this time by the goalkeeper’s feet.
Down the other end, Gianluigi Buffon was alert to block Kevin Kampl’s quick shot on the turn, Dortmund’s first on target up until that point, on 63 minutes.
That moment prompted Borussia boss Jurgen Klopp to go for broke, sending on Jakub Blaszczykowski and Adrián Ramos in place of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Sven Bender.
But as the hosts cranked up the pressure, Juventus struck again on the counter. A wonderful through ball into the channel from Claudio Marchisio picked out Tevez, who squared for Morata to tap home from a matter of yards with 20 minutes remaining.
There was still time for the victory to be sealed in style, and Tevez ensured just that, smashing gleefully past Weidenfeller to rubber stamp the visitors’ place in the Champions League quarter-finals on 79 minutes.
Come the final whistle, Klopp sportingly congratulated each and every Juventus player as they made their way from the pitch, acknowledging the stellar efforts put in by the Bianconeri at one of Europe’s trickiest venues.
The dream continues.
