Juventus advance to Champions League final after dethroning Real Madrid

Ciao, Real Madrid!

The reigning European champions were eliminated on Wednesday as a second-half goal from Alvaro Morata allowed Juventus to earn a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu and advance to the Champions League final with a 3-2 win on aggregate.

Here's what you need to know:

• Supporters of Real Madrid turned out in droves to welcome their team as they arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu.

• Real Madrid reverted to a 4-3-3 formation that saw Sergio Ramos return to his regular role in the club's backline. Pepe started on the bench.
• Juventus took the pitch with their classic 4-3-1-2 formation and Paul Pogba was included in Massimiliano Allegri's starting XI for the first time since he suffered a thigh muscle injury at Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16.
• A phenomenal tifo was unveiled by Real Madrid supporters ahead of kickoff that blanketed the entire Santiago Bernabeu and featured the iconic Alfredo Di Stefano.

First Half

• It took seconds for Carlo Ancelotti's side to generate the first dangerous opportunity of the match, as Marcelo charged down the left flank before swinging a cross to the far post, where Gareth Bale headed the ball over the bar.
• Karim Benzema, returning from a knee injury that had kept him sidelined since mid-April, missed a golden chance in the sixth minute, when he received a cross from Daniel Carvajal and proceeded to blaze the ball wide of goal.
• As Real Madrid continued to press, they were awarded a free kick when Cristiano Ronaldo was brought down by Leonardo Bonucci. Of course, it was Ronaldo who stepped up to take the set piece and an excellent save from Gianluigi Buffon denied No. 7 of opening the scoring.
• Any suggestions that Juventus would sit back and absorb pressure were quickly laid to rest, as Arturo Vidal forced Iker Casillas to make a diving save in the 15th minute with a 25-yard shot.
• Real Madrid 1, Juventus 0: A match-altering moment took place in the 22nd minute, when James Rodriguez went down in the area and referee Jonas Eriksson immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Juventus's players insisted Rodriguez had dived. Replays showed a kick in the back of the Colombian's calf from Giorgio Chiellini. Regardless of the controversy, however, Ronaldo sidefooted the ball down the middle to give Real Madrid a 1-0 lead and the edge on away goals.

• Ronaldo's goal marked his 307th for Real Madrid in all competitions, bringing him level with Di Stefano as the club's second all-time top scorer.

• Although Juventus initially responded well after going down, Real Madrid continued to pile on the pressure in search of another goal. In the span of two minutes, Ronaldo launched a counterattack and – for whatever reason – opted to chip a cross to the far post instead of shooting when he seemed certain to score. Moments later, a header from Toni Kroos forced a diving save out of Buffon.
• A comical moment took place in the 32nd minute, when a ball boy refused to give Patrice Evra the ball ahead of a corner kick. Where's Eden Hazard when you need him?

• Real Madrid's pressure continued until the end of the first half. Had it not been for Buffon's quick reflexes, Benzema would have doubled his side's lead after breaking into the box.
• Rodriguez once again tumbled in the Juventus penalty area after coming into contact with Vidal just before the interval, but no penalty was awarded and the Colombian attacking midfielder was booked for diving.

Second Half

• Juventus looked better coming out of the interval and Claudio Marchisio produced a decent opportunity in the 51st minute when he fired a 25-yard shot just wide of Casillas's right post.
• Real Madrid 1, Juventus 1: Advantage: Juventus! After Casillas punched away a free kick from Andrea Pirlo in the 57th minute, the ball fell to Pogba, who proceeded to head it to an unmarked Morata. Following a touch off his chest, Morata thumped a left-footed shot into the back of the net from 12 yards out and decided not to celebrate against his former club, even though the goal was surely one of the greatest moments of his career.

• Morata's goal served as another reminder of how he belongs in Spain's national team.

• It looked like Real Madrid could have retaken the lead in the 63rd minute when James Rodriguez played a beautiful back-heel pass to an overlapping Marcelo, who cut the ball back to Bale. To the dismay of all those in the Santiago Bernabeu, however, Bale's shot rolled inches wide of the right post.
• With his impact on the game diminishing, Benzema was replaced by Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez in the 67th minute.
• Casillas kept Real Madrid's hopes alive in remarkable style when Vidal played a wonderful pass to an onrushing Marchisio. If the Spanish shot-stopper hadn't read Marchisio like a book and thwarted his effort with a diving save, the tie would have been all but over.
• Real Madrid appealed for a penalty in the 72nd minute when Evra appeared to have slipped and crashed into Hernandez, but Eriksson clearly believed that two penalties in one match would be too much.
• In completely understandable fashion, Stephan Lichtsteiner was booked for timewasting in the 76th minute when he took his sweet time to deliver a throw-in.
• Andrea Barzagli replaced Pirlo to provide Juventus with extra protection at the back and essentially park the bus for the remainder of the match.
• As Juventus supporters belted out the Italian anthem towards the match's conclusion, an eerie silence fell upon the Santiago Bernabeu, appropriately marking the dethroning of the reigning European champions despite their dominance in the tie.

• Juventus will meet Barcelona in the Champions League final on June 6 at the Olympiastadion.