Real Madrid lost 2-1 at Juventus in Tuesday's Champions League semifinal first leg as Alvaro Morata and Carlos Tevez scored to secure a narrow advantage over the defending European champions.
The Spanish media reacted with a mixture of annoyance and relief, criticising a poor performance but recognising that Cristiano Ronaldo's away goal gives Carlo Ancelotti's men a platform to turn things around at the Bernabeu next week.
In Italy, meanwhile, there was widespread acclaim for Juve's triumph during a time when -- with Fiorentina and Napoli also vying for a place in the Europa League final -- calcio is enjoying a boost after a dark period.
AS: "A beating in Turin"
Buenos días. Esta es nuestra portada de hoy http://t.co/t4WGyTjpsu pic.twitter.com/WUZSLFgGHP
- AS (@diarioas) May 6, 2015
"The summary is that Real Madrid weren't up to the circumstances. Maybe they were suffering from a superiority complex or were simply distracted. Maybe from a lack of character. Or maybe it was just a bad night, a terrible one, of collective amnesia. The champions forgot it all: the importance of the tournament and of their rivals. The good news, the only light on a dark night, is that the disaster wasn't made worse by a disastrous scoreline. Real will have to make do with that."
Marca: "A goal from Berlin"
#LaPortada 'A un gol de Berlín' pic.twitter.com/756LFlE4Pm
- MARCA (@marca) May 5, 2015
"Cristiano Ronaldo didn't let anyone down and kept Real Madrid alive and with a chance of making the final in Berlin. He appeared when the team most needed him, to draw level with [Alfredo] Di Stefano as Los Blancos' second highest ever goalscorer with 307, and to give some relief to Ancelotti's side."
El Pais: "Juventus make Madrid tremble"
"Apart from the final stages of the first half, Ancelotti's team were dragged along by a dedicated opponent, who set up strong and with a clear plan, and who were, in some phases, adept with the ball. With their victory, Juventus pushed back a Madrid that was shaky in defence, had Ramos lost in midfield and Bale less than sharp, to underline their worst issues."
Mundo Deportivo: "First blow for Juventus"
"The Italian team won on the scoreboard and in the play, although it is true that the Blancos outfit were very close to leaving the Juventus Stadium with a result that left them well set for the final. Juventus were the better team, and caused more danger to a Madrid side who can leave Turin happy. Because, with Sergio Ramos lost in midfield, Marcelo and Carvajal disasters at the back, and Bale having disappeared, to lose just 2-1 was a feat in itself."
La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Juve no limits"
Oggi in #primapagina la grande serata della @juventusfc e gli sviluppi della trattativa per la cessione del @acmilan pic.twitter.com/JLnr5M6Sxi
- LaGazzettadelloSport (@Gazzetta_it) May 6, 2015
"Great demonstration of skill, courage and personality from the Bianconeri. It's going to be a wonderful week -- a week in which the hope of reaching the final, which is legitimate in view of the lead they have established and the tactical situation it creates, will be supported by an awareness that no result now, not even elimination, could change the fact that Juventus have become one of Europe's great sides."
Tuttosport: "Juve, you are for Real"
"Morata-Tevez: the European champions are knocked out. Great emotion at the Juventus Stadium for the first leg of the Champions League semifinal. The Bianconeri take the lead through the former Real forward, who does not celebrate, but Ronaldo brings Madrid back on terms. 'The Apache' nets the winner. The Juve fans dream of Berlin, while they have a night to remember."
Il Corriere dello Sport: "Royal Juve"
"Amazing Bianconeri; Real beaten. The final of the Champions League is now possible. This was the most desired victory obtained by an extremely solid side. An amazing Juve - borderline to being perfect. The Galacticos, for one night, were wearing black and white shirts. Yet the 2-1 win almost feels unjust, considering the defiance and the desire to win shown by Allegri's men. At the Bernabeu, they now must avoid defeat. It's going to be a tall order because Juve will really have wound up a Real side whose performance was as black as the shirts they were wearing.
La Stampa: "It's a mighty Juve -- Real beaten"
It was a night of dreams, not nightmares, and it came against the European champions, in the semifinals of the Champions League -- what an incredible thought, for Juve and their tribe. Who knows how long they have had to wait for a game like this. In the end, Carlo Ancelotti was right when he said whoever shows courage will win, whoever has fear will lose. Juve had far more [courage] than his Real. It was immediately garra y passion from Juve; determination and passion."
La Repubblica: "2-1: Tevez fuels the Bianconeri's dreams"
"An outstanding Juve crush Real, the defending champions, and consolidate their own ambitions of reaching the Champions League final. A deserved victory which confirms the growth of this group of Bianconeri players who are pretty much up there now with the best in Europe. This 2-1 may not change the balance of this tie too much, with the Blancos needing only a 1-0 in the return leg to go through, but it is also true that Juve can make that difficult trip to the Bernabeu with an entirely different mindfulness and tranquillity, considering that two out of three possible results would take them through."
Corriere della Sera: "Juve, the perfect match"
"Juventus are ahead of Real Madrid half of the way to Berlin. It's not much because the Merengues need only a 1-0 in Madrid to cancel out this 2-1. But this is the difference: the last time these sides met in the group stage in 2013-14, there was a clear difference between the two sides. Now, there isn't. Now, Juve -- beyond the result, the victory -- have gained a European dimension. They showed that they know how to deal with a difficult, tormented semifinal."