Alvaro Morata: 'Difficult to face Real Madrid'

Juventus forward Alvaro Morata has admitted that it was emotional to face his former club Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Spaniard, who spent six years with Real Madrid before leaving for Juve last summer, scored the Italian side's first of the night in their 2-1 win in Turin.

The 22-year-old refused to celebrate as he normally would and has cited respect for his former employers as the sole reason.

"I'm happy that [Juve] won, but eliminating Madrid will still be difficult," Morata told La 1. "Winning [the first leg] was important, but we know that Madrid are even more dangerous at the Bernabeu.

"I said that I wouldn't celebrate a goal [against them]. I'm grateful to the coach [Carlo Ancelotti] and the club, but I'm happy at Juventus. [My former Madrid teammates] are still my friends off the pitch."

Morata scored nine goals in 34 games for Real Madrid last season.