Juventus left-back Patrice Evra has heaped praise on teammate Carlos Tevez following his performance in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final this evening.

Tevez scored a second-half penalty to cap off an impressive individual display and hand the Italian giants a 2-1 advantage over Real Madrid heading into next Wednesday's second leg at the Bernabeu.

Evra made reference to the duo's time at former club Manchester United as a reason behind the Argentine's big-game performance and is hopeful that his side can now go on to win the Champions League this season.

"Carlos Tevez has United blood like myself. He is a champion. He has had a fantastic year and we want to win the Champions League. He works hard and is a real professional," the Frenchman told ITV Sport.

Juventus have not reached the final of the Champions League since 2003 and last lifted the trophy in 1996.