Wednesday 13 May 2015 23:30, UK
Juventus striker Alvaro Morata says it was a "bittersweet feeling" to knock his former club Real Madrid out of the Champions League.
The 22-year-old started his professional career with Real before leaving to join Juventus last summer after a lack of opportunities at the Bernabeu.
And he came back to haunt his former employers by scoring the decisive goal as Juve drew 1-1 in the Spanish capital to advance to the final 3-2 on aggregate.
"It is a bittersweet feeling," Morata told Canal+. "Here and in Turin I came on to the pitch thinking that it was a training session (with my old team-mates) and I had to stop and focus.
"It was quite hard not to celebrate the goal. It was a weird feeling. But I would react the same again a thousand times.
"I would have liked to have scored against another team but that's life. My feelings will be different against Barcelona. They are a great team but we are as well."
After Cristiano Ronaldo had put Real ahead midway through the first half, Morata's levelled 12 minutes into the second period when he controlled the ball in the centre of the penalty area and fired past Iker Casillas.
The goal proved to be enough for Juventus to reach their first Champions League final since 2003 and set up a meeting with Barcelona in Berlin on June 6.
Morata is becoming a very important player, he has grown physically...He has grown a lot and there is still room for improvement.
"Morata is becoming a very important player, he has grown physically," Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri told a news conference.
"He is a young lad who grew up at Madrid with many champions by his side. He started from the bench at Juventus but has grown a lot and I think there is still room for improvement."
Reflecting on the tie, Allegri said: "It was a difficult match because Madrid have so much strength up front if you are not concentrated they will punish you.
"We had a lot of chances in which we lacked the final pass. We deserved to be in the final because the boys grew as the game went on. We maintained a great balance throughout the game and stayed strong mentally."
