Real Madrid vs. Juventus Recap, Analysis: Los Blancos Eliminated in 1-1 Draw
There will be no Undecima as Real Madrid was eliminated from the Champions League by Juventus in a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu. To call the game a heated affair is an understatement as both sides played with tremendous desperation from the get-go.
The strategy for Madrid in the opening of the game was clear. Attack. Attack. Attack. And the team did exactly that, creating a plethora of chances that eventually led to a huge penalty goal from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Then, the team's gameplan came to fruition in all of its glory.
Knowing that winning the possession battle against Juventus would be tough, the team sat back, absorbed pressure, and fired back on the counter. If not for some poor finishing, the tie would have been wrapped up by the time the first half was through.
But the Italian side would not be defeated and came back with tremendous determination in the second half, slowly picking away at Real Madrid's weak defense.
Eventually a free kick would lead to a big goal from Alvaro Morata. Iker Casillas did his best to stop Morata's rifle, but it nestled into the top of the goal.
And it was game on.
Now needing at least one more goal to force extra time, Real Madrid threw everything humanly possible at Juventus. Marcelo and James Rodriguez had a nice combination play inside the penalty area that Gareth Bale kicked wide. Later on Rodriguez got an incredible shot from outside the box that went just over the box. Bale would get another wide open shot chance just inside the box but would fail to capitalize. And then just moments later he would get a slam dunk header that he hit slightly over the net. And he continued to get opportunities to put his team back into the lead but would repeatedly miss.
All this while, the Italian side would be hemmed in its end, but would get some good chances to put the game to an end. At one point, Iker Casillas stopped Claudio Marchisio in a one-on-one to preserve a 1-1 draw.
But at the end of it all, Real Madrid simply could not find the back of the net, despite trying time and again to make it happen.
Now Los Blancos' season essentially comes to an end with the team already out of the Copa del Rey and hanging on a thread in the Spanish League title race against Barcelona.
A lot of questions loom for Real Madrid this summer, especially regarding Coach Carlo Ancelotti who was unable to bring home any major trophies in his second year at the helm.
Of course, this could be the end of the line for Captain Iker Casillas, who despite putting on a valiant effort, had a poor season overall for Los Blancos and found himself booed by home fans all around.
It will be interesting to see if management guts the roster and looks elsewhere for talent to rebuild this team. Despite looking so good for the early portion of 2014-15, there can be no doubt that this season was an abject failure for Real Madrid.
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