XtraTime Web Desk: Comebacks are not rare in the UEFA Champions League. Last year we saw Barcelona pull off a stunning comeback against French side Paris Saint Germain. This year they were on the receiving end as Roma came back from three goals down in the first leg to level Barcelona and qualify on the away goal rule.
On the eve of the Roma comeback, Juventus were facing Real Madrid. Juventus carrying a three-goal deficit from Turin were already knocked out of the Champions league according to football fans. But they were not a force to be reckoned with and they were not giving up without a fight.
The match started at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid. Mario Mandzukic’s header in the second minute silenced the home crowd for a minute or so, but they had not ceased cheering completely till then. The striker went on to score another header off the woodwork on the 37th minute. Blaise Matuidi scored the third goal for Juventus on the 60th minute thereby equalising on aggregate.
A fairy-tale story for Juventus did not have a happy ending as the referee awarded a penalty to Madrid in the last minute of added time. Ronaldo, an exceptional penalty taker did not miss the spot and struck home in the top right corner.
Juventus clearly did not win the match but they had surely won the hearts of the millions of football fans watching this nail biting match.