The field in the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League has whittled itself down to two.
Juventus and Barcelona will meet in the Champions League final on June 6 in Berlin, having defeated Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, respectively, in their semifinal series. Through doggedly excellent progressions through the knockout rounds, Barcelona and Juventus have earned the right to play for the soccer world’s biggest club prize next month, while their defeated opponents prepare for a summer of uncertainty and soul-searching.
Although Barcelona lost to Bayern Munich 3-2 in the second of its two-leg semifinal on Tuesday, it prevailed over the mighty German club by a 5-3 aggregate score. Attacking trident Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez were at their unstoppable best in both games, overpowering an injury-weakened Bayern Munich with sublime quality.
Barcelona now will play for its fifth-ever European Cup in its eighth appearance in the final. Barcelona hasn’t progressed this far since 2011, but it can reinvigorate its “beautiful cycle” with a victory in Berlin.
Juventus held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, but last week’s win in Turin gave the Serie A (Italian first division) champion a 3-2 aggregate win. Real Madrid castoff Alvaro Morata scored once in each leg against his former team, including the game-tying goal in the second leg. Morata’s strikes and Carlos Tevez’s first-leg penalty kick gave Juventus the edge, and their team’s focused and determined defending, coupled with Real Madrid’s wayward shooting put them past the defending European champion and into the final.
Juventus now is back from the wilderness. The Italian powerhouse has reached the Champions League final for the first time since 2003. Juventus was convicted in 2006 of playing a leading role in a widespread referee-influencing and match-fixing scandal, stripped of league championships and relegated to Serie B. A host of leading players left the club, and the road back to the European summit has been long and hard.
Oddsmakers undoubtedly will favor Barcelona to win the final, but Juventus has thrived in the underdog role and has a fairy-tale to complete.
Thumbnail photo via Oscar del Pozo/The Associated Press
