TURIN, Italy — Massimiliano Allegri does not have Carlo Ancelotti’s three Champions League titles or his seemingly-limitless payroll or his squad of stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos.
What Allegri does have, at least for the moment though, is a lead. Allegri’s Juventus, unlikely underdogs in a Champions League semifinal round full of juggernauts, outplayed Ancelotti’s Real Madrid on Tuesday night, beating the Spanish giants by 2-1 in the first leg of their two-game aggregate series. The return match will be played next Wednesday in Madrid.
On that night, Allegri may well have his players bundled together and trying to hang on.