The Real Madrid of the Galactico Era in the early 2000s were a special team. With football superstars like Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo, the Spanish side were the reigning European Champions ahead of the 2002/03 Champions League season. So, when Real won the first leg of the semi-finals against Juventus with a 2-1 scoreline at the Bernabeu, it seemed as though Los Blancos would once again advance into the finals. Then, on May 14th of 2003, the Bianconeri shocked the world with an incredible comeback against the title favourites.
The line-ups for both teams were spectacular. In goal, Casillas went against Buffon. In defense, the likes of Thuram and Montero faced off with Roberto Carlos and Hierro. Further up the field, Del Piero, Trezeguet, Nedved and so on would go head-to-head with Zidane and Luis Figo. This was bound to be an exciting match.
It didn’t take long for Juventus to take the lead, when Nedved ran up the right flank and crossed the ball far on to the left. Del Piero takes a leap and heads the ball toward Trezeguet, who smashes it in goal. 12 minutes in, and Lippi’s side are already ahead. Juventus dominated and continued to play with authority- the second goal was inevitable. Before the end of the first half, Alessandro “Il Pinturicchio” Del Piero makes it 2-0. A long ball from the halfway line is beautifully controlled by the number 10 inside the box. He swerves and maneuvers gracefully around the Real Madrid defense and tucks the ball in the bottom left corner precisely. The crowd breaks into a huge roar and the team celebrates, Juve are now officially on track to advance into the finals.
At the 65th minute, however, it seemed like Real had the chance to turn things over. After Montero tackled Ronaldo inside the box, the away team was awarded a penalty. Luis Figo stepped up to take the penalty, but Buffon anticipates the direction of the weak kick correctly and keeps the ball out of the net. Just 8 minutes later, Nedved pours salt in Real Madrid’s wounds with a spectacular strike which brings the Bianconeri up 3-0. Zidane brings one back for Real in the final minutes of the game, but Juve hold on to their 4-3 aggregate win and go on to the final.
Despite the team’s ecstasy at the final blow of the whistle, Nedved was in tears. He had been booked with a yellow card for a needless challenge on McManaman, meaning he would be suspended for the Champions League final. Juve will go on to lose against Milan in a rather dull and forgettable match, and to this day fans wonder whether it would have gone differently had Nedved played on the pitch.
Regardless of the loss that followed, the semi-final second leg against Real Madrid was a special match. For 90 minutes, Juventus played in a dazzling fashion, gifting the world a wonderful display of pure football.
