Juventus' Alvaro Morata (C) celebrates with teammates Claudio Marchisio (L) and Roberto Pereyra after scoring against Borussia Dortmund during their Champions League round of 16 first leg soccer match at the Juventus stadium in Turin February 24, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

In a passionate atmosphere, Juventus suffered another blow when Pirlo went off injured just after the half hour but a superbly-taken goal by Alvaro Morata just before halftime left the tie on a knife-edge.

In their first meeting since Borussia's 3-1 win in the 1997 Champions League final, both teams pressed relentlessly, forcing each other into numerous mistakes.

Borussia, also affected by a first-half injury to right back Lukasz Piszczek, had more possession without creating many chances while Juventus played an almost counter-attacking game in the second half, despite home advantage.

"We played very well, we were well-ordered in defence and very good in the second half," said phlegmatic Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, whose side are unbeaten at home in all competitions since April 2013.

"It's a shame about their goal but you can't allow for these things."