Carlos Tevez puts Juventus in driving seat

The Old Lady of Italian football — not to mention one or two of its old men — is long overdue a European trophy; and after Carlos Tevez inspired Juventus to a 2-1 Champions League semi-final first leg victory over Real Madrid there is a growing feeling that this could finally be their year.

Juve, one of the grandest names in world football, haven’t been crowned champions of Europe since 1996 when they beat Ajax in Rome; a run of under-achievement that includes a defeat to Real in the 1998 final in Amsterdam and not a single semi-final appearance between 2003 and 2014.

But right now the Turin club is on a high after Tevez set up an early goal for Alvaro Morata last night and then scored a second-half penalty in response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s equaliser.