Morata gives Juventus the edge over Dortmund

Juventus 2 Borussia Dortmund 1

Juventus overcame a blunder by defender Giorgio Chiellini and a first-half injury to playmaker Andrea Pirlo to beat Borussia Dortmund in a fast and furious Champions League tie on Tuesday.

Carlos Tevez tapped in from close range to give the Serie A champions a 13th minute lead, only for a slip by Chiellini five minutes later to let in Marco Reus for a clinically-taken equaliser.

In a passionate atmosphere, Juventus suffered another blow when Pirlo went off injured just after the half hour. But a superbly-taken goal by Alvaro Morata just before halftime gave them a precious lead for the second leg for what looks to be another knife-edge match.

Both teams pressed relentlessly, forcing each other into numerous mistakes.

Juventus got their much-needed early break in a move started and finished by Tevez. He cleverly flicked the ball to Morata on the halfway line, the Spaniard burst down the left and produced a cross-shot which Roman Weidenfeller could only parry to Tevez and the Argentine tapped in from close range.

But disaster struck for Juventus five minutes later when defender Chiellini slipped as he went to make an simple interception, giving a clear run on goal for Reus who planted the ball past Gianluigi Buffon.

The mistake clearly rattled the hosts and when they lost Pirlo to injury, Dortmund took control.

Against the odds, Juventus regained the lead two minutes before halftime with Tevez and Morata both involved again. Tevez worked the ball to Paul Pogba on the left and his low cross fell perfectly for Morata to sidefoot past Weidenfeller.

The second half continued in the same vein with Dortmund enjoying more possession and Juventus, despite home advantage, playing on the break.

Tevez was closest to scoring when he slid a shot just past the post from the edge of the area.