Real Madrid 1-3 Juventus: 4 key battles that decided the game

#3 Giorgio Chiellini vs Gareth Bale

Chiellini's impenetrable defence in the box almost sent Real Madrid out of the competition

After being handed a rare start this season, it was Gareth Bale's time to prove his doubters and his manager wrong but it all went south for him thanks to Giorgio Chiellini guarding the Juventus backline with his life.

While Madrid as a whole were underwhelming in attack during the first half, their manager must have seen something particularly bland about the Welshman as he was taken off at half-time to be replaced by Marco Asensio.

Bale's crosses into the box were easily taken care of by Chiellini and Benatia.

Had Juventus managed to pull off an upset, Chiellini definitely would have been one of the key reasons for it - as he saw to it that none of the Madrid players was on the receiving end of balls into the box.

Chiellini vs Bale - stats

This should also mean the end of Bale at Madrid, as the once-feared goal scorer is now a mere shadow of his former self, and a return to the Premier League might be on the cards.