Chicharito sends Real into Champs League semis
Real Madrid and Juventus scraped into the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday, joining already qualified Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
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Defending champions Real edged city rivals Atletico 1-0 thanks to an 88th-minute winner from on-loan striker Javier Hernandez after a goalless first leg.
Juventus also made it to the last-four after a 0-0 draw in Monaco allowed them to qualify courtesy of their 1-0 first leg win in Italy last week.
Bayern and Barcelona had made sure of their places on Tuesday leaving Friday's semifinal draw to feature four teams with 21 European Cup triumphs between them.
The tie in Madrid was a repeat of last season's final, won by Real 4-1 after extra-time, but Atletico had gone unbeaten in seven previous meetings against their city rivals this season.
However, the visitors had to play the final 14 minutes with 10 men as Arda Turan was shown a second yellow card for a high challenge on Sergio Ramos.
Hernandez then finally got the all-important goal after brilliant work from James Rodriguez and Cristiano Ronaldo left the Mexican (on loan from Manchester United) with the simplest of finishes from close range.
The semi-final draw for the Champions League could bring together some old friends and some old foes.
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Every potential pairing in today's draw is loaded with history, and titles. Defending champion Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus have combined to win the competition 21 times, with 16 runner-up finishes.
Still, two possible storylines stand out.
Bayern coach Pep Guardiola could face former team Barcelona for the first time since leaving in 2012 after a trophy-laden four-year spell that included two Champions League titles. And a Barcelona-Juventus pairing would reunite Luis Suarez and Giorgio Chiellini for the first time since the Uruguay forward bit the Italy defender during last year's World Cup.
Because of his actions, Suarez missed three Champions League matches while serving a four-month ban imposed by FIFA. But he is back now, and so is Juventus, which is returning to the semifinals after a 12-year absence.
That was the last time Juventus made the final, ending a 30-year run in which the team won two titles and reached the final seven times. Andrea Pirlo, now Buffon's teammate at Juventus, played on that Milan side which won a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.
Last Wednesday, Juventus advanced in classic Italian style: Resolute defence in a 0-0 draw at Monaco after scoring the only goal in the first leg from a disputed penalty.
The other three semifinalists, who each have scored at least nine goals more than Juventus in the competition, have been regulars at this stage lately. And a Bayern-Madrid semifinal pairing would be a third time in four years.
Last year, Madrid humbled Guardiola's new team 5-0 on aggregate, including a surprising 4-0 win in the second leg in Munich. In 2012, it was Bayern which advanced on away turf, winning a penalty shootout in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium after the teams traded 2-1 home wins.
The first legs of the semifinals will be played on May 5-6, with the return matches on May 12-13. The final will be played on June 6 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. — Reuters