Juventus Coach Massimiliano Allegri had to be pleased. His team drove the bus for much of the half, and with the exception of Ronaldo’s goal — a great buildup finished by a great player — his defense seemed organized, composed, steady.

Zinedine Zidane had more to think about. Two defenders picked up yellows, and his team seemed to be ballwatching on the Mandzukic goal. What he really needed, though, is a bit more up front. That, as always, depended on better from his midfield — Modric and Kroos. But his is a team that can score, and Juventus cannot rely on wondergoals to make up for mistakes.

Rory Smith: Juventus’ approach was clear in the first half: Massimiliano Allegri, its coach, identified a weakness on the right side of Real Madrid’s defense, and used Mario Mandzukic — when he wasn’t scoring acrobatic goals — to occupy Dani Carvajal and free up space for the overlapping full-back, Alex Sandro. It worked: Juventus has, marginally, been the more threatening of the teams. Real Madrid, though, is more than happy to play on the break, and if it can find a little more space and time for Isco, in particular, has proved it can trouble Juventus’ fabled defense.

2nd Half: Real Madrid Heating Up

The start of the second half has been Real Madrid’s best spell of the game. Isco — selected ahead of the not-yet-fully-fit hometown hero Gareth Bale — has grown steadily more influential, and Juventus is rocking on its heels for the first time. That makes things interesting for Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, who has Bale warming up. Bale would inject pace, but who he would replace with the game so finely balanced is unclear. Watch out for the flaring tempers of Sergio Ramos, on a yellow card already, and his old Barcelona rival Dani Alves, too. They’re starting to simmer.