As we said, it´s not that Juve played badly, nor that they lacked opportunities. The clearest, in the sixth minute, was a point-blank shot from Ibrahimovic which was stopped, spectacularly, by Casillas. There were attempts from Del Piero (and again from Iker) and, above all, Zalayeta, but the Madrid goalkeeper didn´t get his gloves warm.

And Madrid? Serious, tidy at the back, with Samuel like a wall, Helguera as usual, very confident, without complications and especially the orientation of Gravesen. Around the Danish player, excellent once agian, in the tackling work helped by a sacrified Figo-, were formed the best attacking performances by Real Madrid, especially when he joined Zidane and Roberto Carlos on the left wing. From there came the first two opportunities for goals from Madrid, two long shots from Ronaldo (11th minute) and Zidane (22th minute) that went out high. But Buffon was not yet into the game.

Nor was he at the 39th minute, when after a White counterattack, Ronaldo faced Thuram and tried to put in a goal close to the crossbar. But his shot on the left missed by centimeters. Madrid were already warned of his potential. And Ronaldo, impossible to discourage, was showing that he wanted to keep on trying during the second half …

And he did it. At the 51st minute, with a typical counterattack that finished off with a left-footed shot that, alter being touched by Buffon, crashed against the left post of the Juventus´s net. It was the 0-1, that Madrid almost had in their hands. But they missed it.

More work
The pressure was raising the temperature. Juve put more wood onto the fire (though Capello was criticized by the substitution of Del Piero by Trezeguet) and Juve went out to hound and defeat the Whites defence. However, despite the growing roar of Delle Alpi, there weren´t clear opportunities coming. And the clock was showing one hour of play. Meanwhile Madrid were trying to desactivate the Italian pressure with long possessions, but after Ronaldo´s they weren´t getting more chances. The game was becoming a kind of carrousel, more and more wild. A "pim-pam-pum".

After an hour of play, things looked calmer. Juventus had lost part of their initial drive and Madrid was having fewer problems to get rid of the local pressure. It was a pity that chances still weren´t coming, at least for Buffon´s net. However Ibrahimovic (65th minute) and Camoranesi (74th minute), just when Luxemburgo decided to change players: Guti for Zidane, doubtlessly, looking for a passing player against the final drive of the Italians, and to rehabilitate Ronaldo or Raúl. Everything looked under control … until, with the first ball he touched, Trezeguet, in close, put into Madrid´s net the 1-0 after a good pass from Ibrahimovic. A new game with just 15 minutes left.

And there was time for much more. To watch, for example, how the Italian goalkeeper kept out a cannon shot from 30 meters by Roberto Carlos. Or a goal from Ronaldo (he went for it …) cancelled by offside. And another try from the Juventus´s player number ‘9’. But the game was doomed to the extra-time. And there we went. Despite the moral blow of 1-0, Madrid looked to be in better form, more upright.

STATISTICS: JUVENTUS, 1: Buffon; Zebina, Thuram, Cannavaro, Zambrotta; Camoranesi, Emerson, Pessotto (Tacchinardi, 65th minute), Del Piero (Trezeguet, 59th minute); Zalayeta, Ibrahimovic. REAL MADRID, 0: Casillas; Raúl Bravo, Helguera, Samuel, Roberto Carlos; Gravesen, Beckham (Solari, 76th minute), Zidane (Guti, 74th minute), Figo; Raúl and Ronaldo. GOALS: 1-0: 75th minute. Trezeguet, on his back, took advantage of a ball from Ibrahimovic. 2-0: 116th minute: Zalayeta, from outside the area. REFEREE: Markus Merk (ALE). Gave yellow cards to Solari (107th minute), Tacchinardi (110th minute), Emerson (112th minute) and Zambrota (120th minute). Red cards to Ronaldo and Tacchinardi (111th minute). OTHER INFORMATION: Second leg of the round before the quarter finals of the Champions League 2004/05, played at the Delle Alpi stadium in front of 60,000 spectators, 3,300 of them Real Madrid fans from Spain.