Alvaro Morata still playing the hero for Juventus in Champions League

Leave it to Alvaro Morata to give Juventus a lifeline in the tightest of moments.

The 22-year-old propelled Juve to the Champions League final earlier this year, and he picked up right where he left off against Manchester City on Tuesday.

His latest work was pure determination. Morata took advantage of a fortunate bounce at the edge of the penalty area, and in just a few seconds beat defender Nicolas Otamendi and curled an inch-perfect strike off the far post and in.

It was his fourth goal in his past four Champions League matches and his sixth in his past eight.

His prolific record in Europe is well-documented: He was a top scorer and champion at both the U19 and U21 Euros with Spain, and he is proving himself now as a quality striker in senior competition.

His goals against Real Madrid in May only confirmed his status as an upcoming star in the game. Los Blancos sold Morata to the Bianconeri for €20 million last summer, but not without a buy-back option. It was an admission that this player, whom Madrid developed as a youth, could yet become great, an umbilical chord left uncut. He wanted minutes and Madrid couldn't give them to him.

So Juventus found room for Morata, and he emerged as a starter after several appearances as a substitute last season. Coach Massimiliano Allegri, who has not hesitated to field his younger players, had enough faith in the young Spaniard to ease him into an attack with Carlos Tevez.

Now Tevez is gone, and Morata is looking a lot less like the future and a lot more like the present.

Juventus is reaping the rewards of that forward-thinking: the Italians are 12-2-1 when Morata scores.

This time, it wasn't just the goal against City. He ran close to 10,000 metres, which is not so typical of an out-and-out striker. There wasn't a piece of the pitch he wouldn't cover. He sacrificed himself for the team, much like Tevez in the past, tracking back and contributing defensively.

Morata is not just a static reference point. He's a movable part on a team that produces many shots from various positions. More importantly, he's earned enough respect to be his own man. Madrid didn't need him, and now he doesn't need Madrid.