While it wasn't a match for the ages, the roar from the Santiago Bernabéu was unmistakable. After a long wait, Jude Bellingham finally found himself before the south end with his arms wide open, basking in the crowd's rendition of Hey Jude. After a lengthy layoff and questions about his role, he scored his first goal of the campaign, eventually delivering a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid over a Italian opponent that put up a fight. “It was a tough battle,” stated the Belgian goalkeeper.
Decisive Stops Secure the Win
The shot-stopper understood perfectly well, having to rescue a clear chance from Dušan Vlahović and make another crucial stop from the French midfielder in the final minute. The win puts Madrid on a strong tally and the opposition team below the cut. After a match with more shots than fluid football, the Juventus manager may reflect on a promising opening, with those saves representing a wasted moment around the closing stages; their current situation however makes for concerning reading.
“A side from Italy in difficulty is doubly threatening,” the Madrid coach had remarked beforehand.
The Turin-based club, which hadn’t won since September, posed Madrid problems at the beginning and again near the conclusion. Madrid dominated possession, with a significant advantage, but Juventus threatened on the counter, particularly with Pierre Kalulu surging forward and the striker linking up, firing off a dozen attempts compared to the hosts' twenty-seven.
Strong Opening for Away Side
The visitors began brightly, without a doubt. Within three minutes, they thought they were in front, the forward a little unfortunate to be called for holding the Brazilian defender. Three minutes later, Raúl Asencio had to slide in front of him when the wing-back broke free on the right flank. And three minutes after that, the American midfielder's shot was deflected wide.
What followed, from Federico Gatti's powerful strike, was a more impressive save. Fifteen minutes had gone. However, quickly the Italians' momentum had dissipated as well. Madrid assumed command. Mostly it was rather mechanical, though, and the top chances came to the French midfielder, who wouldn’t be Alonso’s striker of choice. Two were headed over, a third deflected wide; an additional chance with the head was wasted by Militão.
Guler Shines
The best moments were provided by the young Turk. Güler, whose football 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 the French superstar early on, but when he finally emerged it was the nearest Madrid got to a goal. Initially his attempt was stopped by the Juventus keeper, who would produce several stops. Then some exquisite dribbling saw him evade the full-back repeatedly until he went down to the turf and set up Militão to blast over.
Late Tension
The Brazilian dived to halt Kalulu at the outset of the second period, and then came the regulation Courtois rescue when suddenly the attacker was through. The “inadvertent pass” had been remarkable, with the defender cutting out a ball inside his own penalty box and the ball bouncing from the instep of his foot directly through the middle to past the center circle. Sprinting after it, ample room appearing, the striker outpaced his marker, using his strength and advancing into the area where Courtois saved.
Then what tends to happen happened, the stop made good by the goal that comes after it. A flash from Vinícius Júnior set up it, working himself enough room amid multiple defenders to unleash a driven effort which struck the post. Lurking in that striker’s role was the goalscorer. The breakthrough found, Madrid should have finished it, Mbappé stopped by Di Gregorio and Fede Valverde seeing his volley deflected by Gatti. Then the Juventus goalkeeper made a brilliant double stop from the forward and the attacking midfielder.
There were more scares: as the game was drawing to a close, Raúl Asencio had to make a stunning sliding block as Madrid were exposed and at the risk of the substitute unmarked in the area. Then in the final seconds Courtois flew in to stop the midfielder, his job complete. For Juve, there was no way back, Bellingham’s first of the campaign the last of the encounter.
“I'm overjoyed, a while now since I’ve found the net, a lot of time out and thinking of that moment, back in the Champions League and against a major opponent. To get the decisive goal, in our stadium, it’s unbelievable. I felt comfortable, really good. To play well was important and to score the winning goal helps the team a lot.”
Regarding his form, he added: “It wasn't that last year was a failure, with 15 goals, fourteen setups, but I know the general feeling was that it was poorer. But I was a contributor to 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 first year. Now I’ve had my shoulder surgery, a different coach, he’s got that shape, how we intend to play…. You have to take lessons.”
