It may not have been a match for the ages, the chanting 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 crowd's rendition of his anthem. After a lengthy layoff and questions about his position, he scored his opening strike of the campaign, eventually securing a narrow win for Real Madrid over a Juventus side that made them work hard. “It was a tough battle,” stated the Belgian goalkeeper.
Decisive Stops Ensure the Win
The shot-stopper knew perfectly well, having to save a clear chance from the Serbian striker and produce another decisive save from the French midfielder in the dying moments. This result puts Madrid on nine points and Igor Tudor’s team below the cut. After a match with plenty of attempts but little elegance, the Juventus manager may reflect on a decent start, with those saves representing a missed chance around the closing stages; the team's reality however presents concerning reading.
“An Italian team in trouble is twice as dangerous,” Xabi Alonso had warned in advance.
Juventus, which were without a victory since September, did cause Madrid issues at the beginning and again near the end. Madrid dominated the ball, 66%-34%, but Juventus were dangerous on the counter, particularly with the French defender running and the striker combining, managing a dozen attempts compared to the hosts' 27.
Promising Start for Away Side
They had started well, without a doubt. After just three minutes, they believed they were ahead, the forward a little unfortunate to be penalized for pulling Éder Militão. Shortly after, Raúl Asencio had to slide in front of him when Kalulu dashed clear on the right. Then three minutes after that, the American midfielder's shot was deflected past the post.
What followed, from the defender's drive, was a more impressive save. Fifteen minutes had gone. However, soon the Italians' momentum had dissipated as well. Madrid took control. Largely it was rather mechanical, however, and the top chances came to the French midfielder, who wouldn’t be the coach's preferred forward. A couple were off target, a third deflected wide; an additional headed opportunity was wasted by the center-back.
Turkish Talent Impresses
The best moments came from the young Turk. Güler, whose play was the nearest thing there was to smooth attacking, was always involved. His neat stop and turn saw him deliver to the back post for Bellingham.
Little was seen of the French superstar early on, but when he finally emerged it was the closest Madrid got to scoring. First his shot was denied by the Juventus keeper, who would make eight saves. Next some exquisite dribbling saw him turn Andrea Cambiaso repeatedly until he went down to the turf and laid off to Militão to fire over.
Second-Half Drama
The Brazilian threw himself to halt the runner at the outset of the second period, and then came the customary save from the keeper when unexpectedly Vlahović was away. The “assist” had been remarkable, with the defender intercepting a pass inside his own penalty box and the sphere bouncing from the instep of his boot directly through the center to past the center circle. Racing after it, ample room appearing, the striker raced Militão, using his strength and advancing into the box where Courtois made the stop.
Next what tends to happen occurred, the stop compensated for by the score 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 hit the upright. Lurking in that striker’s role was the goalscorer. With the deadlock broken, Madrid ought to have sealed the game, Mbappé stopped by the keeper and Fede Valverde seeing his volley deflected by Gatti. Subsequently the Juventus goalkeeper made a brilliant double stop from the forward and the attacking midfielder.
It was not the only one: as the game was slipping away, the defender had to make a stunning sliding block as Madrid were exposed and at the mercy of the substitute unmarked in the area. Finally in the dying moments Courtois dived to deny the midfielder, his job complete. For Juve, there was no route to a comeback, Bellingham’s first of the season the final of the encounter.
“It’s a great feeling, a long time now since I’ve found the net, a period out and thinking of that moment, returning in the Champions League and against a big team. To score a winner, in our stadium, it’s incredible. I felt comfortable, really good. To play well was important and to net the match-winner benefits the team greatly.”
Regarding his form, he added: “I didn’t think last year was a failure, still fifteen strikes, fourteen setups, but I understand the general feeling was that it was poorer. But I was a part of that, how we underperformed last year, there were still good moments but not the level I want to play at, not the caliber like the first year. Now I’ve had my shoulder surgery, a new manager, he’s got that system, how we want to play…. You have to learn from it.”
