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 once again found himself before the home supporters with his arms wide open, listening to the fans' singing of Hey Jude. After a lengthy layoff and uncertainty about his role, he netted his opening strike of the campaign, eventually delivering a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid over a Juventus side that made them work hard. “We had to sweat for it,” commented Thibaut Courtois.
Decisive Stops Secure the Victory
The shot-stopper knew better than anyone, having to rescue a one-on-one from the Serbian striker and make another crucial save from the French midfielder in the final minute. The win leaves Madrid on nine points and the opposition team outside the qualifying spots. At the end of a match with more shots than fluid football, the Juventus manager may consider a decent start, with those opportunities representing a wasted moment around the 85-minute mark; the team's reality however presents concerning reading.
“A side from Italy in trouble is doubly threatening,” Xabi Alonso had remarked beforehand.
Juventus, who hadn’t won since last month, posed Madrid problems at the start and once more near the end. Madrid commanded possession, 66%-34%, but Juventus were dangerous on the counter, especially with the French defender surging forward and the striker combining, firing off a dozen attempts compared to the hosts' 27.
Promising Start for Visitors
They had started well, certainly. Within three minutes, they thought they were in front, the forward somewhat unfortunate to be penalized for pulling the Brazilian defender. Three minutes later, Raúl Asencio had to slide in front of him when the wing-back dashed clear on the right. Then three minutes after that, the American midfielder's shot was pushed past the post.
What followed, from the defender's drive, was a more impressive save. A quarter of an hour had gone. However, soon the Italians' momentum had dissipated as well. Madrid took control. Mostly it was all a bit functional, though, and the top chances came to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who wouldn’t be the coach's preferred forward. A couple were off target, a third deflected wide; another headed opportunity was missed by the center-back.
Turkish Talent Impresses
The best moments were provided by Arda Güler. Güler, whose football was the nearest thing 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 the French superstar early on, but when he did appear it was the closest Madrid came to scoring. Initially his attempt was stopped by Michele Di Gregorio, who would produce several stops. Next some lovely fast footwork saw him turn the full-back twice until he went down to the ground and laid off to Militão to blast over.
Second-Half Drama
Militão dived to stop Kalulu at the start of the second period, and then came the customary save from the keeper when unexpectedly Vlahović was away. The “assist” had been quite something, with Lloyd Kelly intercepting a pass inside his own area and the ball bouncing from the instep of his foot right through the center to past the halfway line. Sprinting after it, ample room appearing, Vlahović raced his marker, holding him off and heading into the area where Courtois saved.
Next the usual pattern happened, the save compensated for by the goal that follows it. A flash from Vinícius Júnior set up it, creating enough room amid four men to unleash a low, left-footed shot which struck the post. Lurking in that striker’s role was the goalscorer. The breakthrough found, Madrid ought to have sealed the game, the Frenchman denied by the keeper and Fede Valverde seeing his half-volley blocked by the defender. Subsequently Di Gregorio made a superb quick saves from Mbappé and the attacking midfielder.
It was not the only one: as the match was slipping away, the defender had to make a incredible last-ditch tackle as Madrid were opened up and at the mercy of the substitute unmarked in the penalty box. Then in the final seconds Courtois flew in to deny the midfielder, his work done. For Juve, there was no way back, Bellingham’s first of the season the final of the encounter.
“I'm overjoyed, a long time now since I’ve found the net, a lot of time out and thinking of that moment, back in the elite competition and against a big team. To score a winner, in our stadium, it’s incredible. I felt comfortable, excellent. To perform was important and to net the match-winner benefits the team greatly.”
As for his form, he added: “I didn’t think last year was a disaster, still fifteen strikes, 14 assists, but I know the perception was that it was worse. But I was a contributor to that, how we underperformed last year, there were still positive spells but not the level I aim to play at, not the caliber like the debut season. Now I’ve had my operation, a different coach, he’s got that system, how we intend to play…. You have to learn from it.”
