Real Madrid full-back Dani Carvajal says Juventus “assumed the role of favourites” ahead of the Champions League final “and that’s what killed them”.
The Bianconeri reached the final for the second time in three seasons last term, but after a close first half they were thrashed 4-1 by Los Merengues in Cardiff.
“It was a pretty even game in the first half,” Carvajal recalled in an interview with El Pais.
Real Madrid full-back Dani Carvajal says Juventus “assumed the role of favourites” ahead of the Champions League final “and that’s what killed them”.
The Bianconeri reached the final for the second time in three seasons last term, but after a close first half they were thrashed 4-1 by Los Merengues in Cardiff.
“It was a pretty even game in the first half,” Carvajal recalled in an interview with El Pais.
“They came out strong and they made things very difficult for us. Very. What happened is that after the break we took a step forward and got on top.
“That’s what [Coach Zinedine] Zidane told us at half-time. That this was our time, that we had to go for them, to take the ball away much faster and not let them breathe.
“We pressured everything we could to make them see that the final could only be ours. That was the key to success in the final.
“Juve’s reaction? Before the game they assumed the role of favourites.
“We read their interviews showing respect for us, saying that if we had so many European Cups there was a reason for it, but automatically clarifying that they were ready to win.
“They ended up paying for that, that’s what killed them.
“They put pressure on themselves, the pressure of starting a Champions League final as favourites, and then when things started going badly they didn’t know how to react.
“What happened is that a final is all about confidence, and we’ve played a lot of these games, so we had enormous confidence in Cardiff.”
Carvajal played against Mario Mandzukic, who scored a stunning overhead kick in the first half.
“He’s a striker who works so hard during the game, and he always makes you sweat.
“What happens is that on my own pitch, people don’t go against me one-on-one, so that always makes things easier.
“He jostles, he moves into open spaces but he doesn’t ever go at you with the ball but he doesn’t leave you alone at the back.”