It may not have been a match for the ages, the roar from the Santiago Bernabéu was familiar. Having been absent for some time, Jude Bellingham finally stood before the home supporters with his arms outstretched, listening to the fans' singing of his anthem. Following a shoulder injury and uncertainty about his position, he netted 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.
Key Saves Secure the Win
Courtois knew perfectly well, having to save a one-on-one from Dušan Vlahović and make another decisive stop from Khéphren Thuram in the dying moments. The win puts Madrid on a strong tally and Igor Tudor’s team below the cut. At the end of a game with plenty of attempts but little elegance, the visiting coach may reflect on a decent start, with those saves representing a missed chance around the 85-minute mark; the team's reality though makes for concerning reading.
“A side from Italy in difficulty is twice as dangerous,” the Madrid coach had warned beforehand.
Juventus, which hadn’t won since last month, did cause Madrid issues at the beginning and once more near the conclusion. Madrid commanded possession, with a significant advantage, but Juventus threatened on the break, particularly with Pierre Kalulu surging forward and Vlahović linking up, managing a dozen attempts compared to the home side's 27.
Strong Opening for Away Side
They had started well, without a doubt. After just three minutes, they believed they were ahead, the forward a little unlucky to be called for pulling Éder Militão. Three minutes later, the Madrid defender had to slide in front of him when the wing-back broke free on the right flank. And soon after, the American midfielder's shot was pushed wide.
What followed, from Federico Gatti's drive, was a more impressive save. A quarter of an hour had passed. That said, soon the Italians' momentum had faded too. Madrid took control. Largely it was all a bit functional, however, and the three best opportunities fell to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who wouldn’t be Alonso’s striker of choice. A couple were headed over, a third took a deflection; another headed opportunity was wasted by Militão.
Guler Shines
Most creative play came from Arda Güler. The Turk, whose play was the closest there was to fluidity, was constantly in the action. His clever control and spin saw him clip to the back post for the Englishman.
There was not much sign of Kylian Mbappé yet, but when he finally emerged it was the closest Madrid got to scoring. Initially his attempt was stopped by Michele Di Gregorio, who would make several stops. Then some exquisite dribbling saw him evade the full-back repeatedly until he tumbled to the turf and laid off to Militão to fire over.
Late Tension
The Brazilian threw himself to halt Kalulu at the start of the second half, and then came the regulation save from the keeper when suddenly Vlahović was away. The “inadvertent pass” had been quite something, with the defender intercepting a ball inside his own penalty box and the ball bouncing from the inside of his foot right through the center to beyond the center circle. Racing after it, ample room appearing, the striker raced his marker, holding him off and advancing into the area where Courtois made the stop.
Then what tends to happen occurred, the save compensated for by the goal that comes after it. A burst from the Brazilian winger set up it, creating enough space amid multiple defenders to release a driven effort which struck the upright. Lurking in that striker’s role was the goalscorer. The breakthrough found, Madrid should have finished it, the Frenchman denied by the keeper and Fede Valverde seeing his half-volley deflected by Gatti. Then Di Gregorio made a brilliant double stop from the forward and Brahim Díaz.
It was not the only one: as the match was drawing to a close, Raúl Asencio had to make a stunning sliding block as Madrid were opened up and at the risk of the substitute unmarked in the penalty box. Then in the dying moments the Madrid keeper dived to deny Thuram, his job done. For the visitors, there was no way back, Bellingham’s first of the season the final of the encounter.
“It’s a great feeling, a while now since I’ve found the net, a period out and dreaming of that moment, returning in the Champions League and against a major opponent. To get the decisive goal, here at home, it’s incredible. I was at ease, excellent. To play well was crucial and to net the match-winner benefits the team a lot.”
Regarding his form, he added: “It wasn't that last year was a failure, with fifteen strikes, 14 assists, but I know the general feeling was that it was poorer. But I was a part of that, how we didn’t play as well last year, there were nonetheless good moments but not the level I aim to play at, not the caliber like the debut season. Now I’ve had my shoulder surgery, a different coach, he’s got that shape, how we intend to play…. You have to learn from it.”
