It may not have been a match for the ages, the roar from the Santiago Bernabéu was familiar. After a long wait, Jude Bellingham once again stood before the home supporters with his arms outstretched, listening to the crowd's rendition of his anthem. After a lengthy layoff and uncertainty about his position, he scored his first goal of the campaign, ultimately securing a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid over a Juventus side that made them work hard. “It was a tough battle,” commented Thibaut Courtois.
Decisive Stops Secure the Win
Courtois knew perfectly well, having to save a one-on-one from Dušan Vlahović and produce another crucial save from the French midfielder in the final minute. This result leaves Madrid on a strong tally and Igor Tudor’s team below the cut. After a game with more shots than fluid football, the visiting coach may reflect on a decent start, with those saves representing a wasted moment around the closing stages; the team's reality though makes for concerning reading.
“An Italian team in trouble is twice as dangerous,” the Madrid coach had remarked beforehand.
The Turin-based club, who hadn’t won since last month, posed Madrid issues at the beginning and once more near the end. Madrid commanded the ball, 66%-34%, but Juventus were dangerous on the counter, especially with Pierre Kalulu running and the striker linking up, managing 12 shots compared to the home side's 27.
Promising Start for Away Side
The visitors began brightly, without a doubt. After just three minutes, they thought they were ahead, the forward a little unfortunate to be penalized for pulling the Brazilian defender. Shortly after, Raúl Asencio had to slide ahead of Vlahović when Kalulu dashed clear on the right flank. Then soon after, the American midfielder's shot was pushed wide.
What followed, from Federico Gatti's drive, was a more impressive save. Fifteen minutes had passed. That said, quickly the visitors' impetus had dissipated too. Madrid took control. Mostly it was all a bit functional, though, and the three best opportunities fell to the French midfielder, who is not Alonso’s striker of choice. A couple were headed over, a third deflected wide; an additional chance with the head was missed by the center-back.
Turkish Talent Impresses
Most creative play came from the young Turk. Güler, whose football was the closest there was to fluidity, was always involved. His clever control and spin saw him deliver to the back post for the Englishman.
Little was seen of the French superstar early on, but when he finally emerged it was the nearest Madrid came to scoring. First his attempt was denied by Michele Di Gregorio, who would produce several stops. Then some exquisite dribbling saw him turn the full-back repeatedly until he tumbled to the ground and laid off to his teammate to blast over.
Late Tension
Militão threw himself to halt Kalulu at the start of the second period, and then came the customary Courtois rescue when suddenly Vlahović was away. The “assist” had been quite something, with Lloyd Kelly intercepting a pass inside his own penalty box and the ball deflecting from the inside of his boot directly through the middle to past the center circle. Racing after it, huge space appearing, the striker outpaced Militão, using his strength and heading into the area where Courtois made the stop.
Next what tends to happen occurred, the stop compensated for by the score that comes after it. A flash from Vinícius Júnior created it, creating enough room amid four men to release a driven effort which struck the upright. Positioned in that striker’s role was Bellingham. With the deadlock broken, Madrid ought to have sealed the game, Mbappé denied by Di Gregorio and the Uruguayan seeing his half-volley deflected by the defender. Subsequently the Juventus goalkeeper made a brilliant double stop from Mbappé and the attacking midfielder.
There were more scares: as the game was slipping away, the defender had to make a incredible last-ditch tackle as Madrid were opened up and at the mercy of Loïs Openda momentarily alone in the area. Finally in the dying moments the Madrid keeper dived to deny the midfielder, his job complete. For Juve, there was no way back, Bellingham’s first of the season the final of the encounter.
“I'm overjoyed, a while now since I’ve scored, a lot of time out and thinking of that moment, returning in the Champions League and against a big team. To score a winner, here at home, it’s unbelievable. I was at ease, really good. To perform was crucial and to net the match-winner helps the team a lot.”
As for his performance, he added: “It wasn't that last year was a disaster, with 15 goals, fourteen setups, but I understand the perception was that it was poorer. But I was a part of that, how we didn’t play as well last year, there were nonetheless positive spells but not the standard I want to play at, not the caliber like the debut season. Now I’ve had my operation, a new manager, he’s got that system, how we intend to play…. You have to learn from it.”
