Real Madrid 1-3 Juventus: 4 key battles that decided the game

Real Madrid survived a scare at the Santiago Bernabeu, as a controversial penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo in the last minute of injury time was enough to seal their entry into the final 4 of the UEFA Champions League.

Just when it looked like Juventus had pulled off an absolute miracle courtesy Mario Mandzukic's two headers and a howler from Keylor Navas, referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot in the dying moments to break the hearts of the visiting fans, also sending Gianluigi Buffon off to add insult to injury.

As always, there were a few individual battles that played a crucial part in ultimately deciding the result of the fixture. Here's a look at 4 such battles that had a say in the final outcome:

#1 Mario Mandzukic vs Dani Carvajal

Mario Mandzukic thoroughly dominated Carvajal in the air

Mario Mandzukic has been a thorn in Real Madrid's side ever since his Atletico Madrid days, and nothing has changed since then. Once again, the Croatian proved to be a nuisance for the defenders with his aerial prowess.

In the absence of Sergio Ramos, it was always going to be hard for Real Madrid to command the air and Juventus made use of the opportunity by whipping crosses into the Madrid box as often as they could.

Dani Carvajal was the one tasked with marking Mandzukic, and their difference in height was the deciding factor. Carvajal was also solely at fault for the opening goal, as he drifted into the box instead of sticking to his man - resulting in a free header for the Juventus striker.

The second goal was almost a copy of the first, as Mandzukic leapt higher than Carvajal and nodded one into the near post off a Lichtsteiner cross. Things might not have been as difficult for Carvajal had Madrid's captain played, but this was a horrid display from the Los Blancos' right back.

#2 Miralem Pjanic vs Casemiro

Juventus' midfield maestro pulled the strings with his immaculate passing

Not very often does Zinedine Zidane take off Casemiro when chasing a 2 goal deficit, but Miralem Pjanic's domination in midfield forced the Frenchman to take his trusted holding midfielder out of the game at half-time.

The difference Pjanic brought to the side - after sitting out the first leg with a suspension - cannot be emphasised enough. Juventus' attack in the first and second legs was as different as night and day, and the Bosnian was at the heart of every attacking move on the night.

Despite not being as tough physically as the Brazilian, Pjanic displayed incredible strength to hold on to the ball at times, and when he did, his distribution was immaculate - finding Costa and Mandzukic on the wings with relative ease.

On another day, Miralem Pjanic would have been adjudged the Man of the Match for turning a fixture on its head, but this was still a memorable performance from the Bianconeri's creator-in-chief.

#3 Giorgio Chiellini vs Gareth Bale

Chiellini's impenetrable defence in the box almost shut Real Madrid out of the competition — Chiellini's impenetrable defence in the box almost sent Real Madrid out of the competition

After being handed a rare start this season, it was Gareth Bale's time to prove his doubters and his manager wrong but it all went south for him thanks to Giorgio Chiellini guarding the Juventus backline with his life.

While Madrid as a whole were underwhelming in attack during the first half, their manager must have seen something particularly bland about the Welshman as he was taken off at half-time to be replaced by Marco Asensio.

Bale's crosses into the box were easily taken care of by Chiellini and Benatia.

Had Juventus managed to pull off an upset, Chiellini definitely would have been one of the key reasons for it - as he saw to it that none of the Madrid players was on the receiving end of balls into the box.

This should also mean the end of Bale at Madrid, as the once-feared goal scorer is now a mere shadow of his former self, and a return to the Premier League might be on the cards.

#4 Zinedine Zidane vs Massimiliano Allegri

An impressive display from the two managers - but it was Zidane who had the last laugh

Overturning a 3-gal deficit is never an easy task, but the way Juventus went about their business must surely be lauded.

Allegri's team selection was on point for the fixture - the return of Pjanic and Benatia made things easy for him. The fact that Dybala was hardly missed in a game of this magnitude speaks volumes of their depth and chances of winning this tournament in the future.

With only one of his three available centre-backs fit for this game, Zidane made do with what he had at his disposal. The decision to drop Benzema and go with Bale as the striker might have backfired - but then again, Benzema isn't in the best of form.

But the decision to make three attacking substitutions in the second half - particularly Vazquez for Casemiro took enormous courage from the Frenchman. He was rewarded for his intent with Vazquez winning the crucial penalty.

It was a great game by both managers, as the teams matched each other strength for strength. While Madrid might not have won, they did go into the semi-finals, and when you go into the last 4 for the 8th consecutive time, nothing else matters.

Edited by Arvind Sriram