It may not have been a match for the ages, the roar from the Madrid's home stadium was unmistakable. Having been absent for some time, Jude Bellingham finally stood before the home supporters with his arms outstretched, basking in the crowd's singing of Hey Jude. After a shoulder injury and questions about his position, he netted his opening strike of the campaign, ultimately securing a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid over a Italian opponent that made them work hard. “It was a tough battle,” commented the Belgian goalkeeper.
Key Saves Secure the Win
The shot-stopper understood perfectly well, having to rescue a clear chance from Dušan Vlahović and produce another crucial stop from the French midfielder in the final minute. This result leaves Madrid on a strong tally and the opposition team outside the qualifying spots. After a game with plenty of attempts but little elegance, the Juventus manager may reflect on a promising opening, with those opportunities representing a missed chance around the 85-minute mark; the team's reality however presents worrying statistics.
“A side from Italy in trouble is twice as dangerous,” Xabi Alonso had remarked beforehand.
The Turin-based club, which were without a victory since September, posed Madrid problems at the start and once more near the conclusion. Madrid dominated the ball, with a significant advantage, but Juventus were dangerous on the break, especially with the French defender running and the striker linking up, managing a dozen attempts compared to the home side's 27.
Strong Opening for Visitors
The visitors began brightly, without a doubt. After just three minutes, they believed they were ahead, Vlahović somewhat unfortunate to be called for pulling the Brazilian defender. Three minutes later, Raúl Asencio had to intervene in front of him when Kalulu broke free on the right flank. And soon after, the American midfielder's shot was pushed wide.
What followed, from the defender's drive, was a more impressive stop. Fifteen minutes had gone. That said, soon the visitors' impetus had dissipated as well. Madrid took control. Largely it was all a bit functional, however, and the top chances fell to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who wouldn’t be the coach's preferred forward. A couple were off target, a third took a deflection; another headed opportunity was wasted by Militão.
Turkish Talent Impresses
The best moments were provided by the young Turk. Güler, whose football was the closest there was to smooth attacking, was always involved. His clever control and spin saw him clip to the back post for Bellingham.
Little was seen of the French superstar early on, but when he did appear it was the nearest Madrid got to scoring. Initially his shot was denied by the Juventus keeper, who would produce several stops. Then some exquisite dribbling saw him evade the full-back repeatedly until he tumbled to the turf and set up Militão to fire over.
Second-Half Drama
Militão threw himself to stop Kalulu at the outset of the second half, and then came the customary save from the keeper when suddenly Vlahović was away. The “inadvertent pass” had been quite something, with Lloyd Kelly intercepting a ball inside his own penalty box and the ball bouncing from the inside of his foot right through the middle to beyond the center circle. Racing after it, ample room opening, the striker outpaced Militão, holding him off and heading into the area where Courtois saved.
Then what tends to happen happened, the save made good by the score that comes after it. A flash from the Brazilian winger set up it, creating enough room amid four men to unleash a low, left-footed shot which struck the upright. Positioned in that striker’s role was the goalscorer. With the deadlock broken, Madrid ought to have sealed the game, the Frenchman denied by the keeper and the Uruguayan seeing his volley deflected by the defender. Then the Juventus goalkeeper made a superb quick saves from Mbappé and the attacking midfielder.
There were more scares: as the match was slipping away, the defender had to make a stunning sliding block as Madrid were exposed and at the risk of Loïs Openda momentarily alone in the penalty box. Finally in the final seconds the Madrid keeper flew in to stop Thuram, his work complete. For Juve, there was no route to a comeback, 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, returning in the Champions League and against a major opponent. To get the decisive goal, in our stadium, it’s unbelievable. I was at ease, excellent. To play well was important and to score the winning goal helps the team greatly.”
Regarding his form, he continued: “I didn’t think last year was a disaster, with fifteen strikes, 14 assists, but I know the perception was that it was poorer. But I was a contributor to that, how we didn’t play as well last year, there were nonetheless good moments but not the level I want to play at, not the level like the debut season. Now I’ve had my operation, a new manager, he’s got that system, how we want to play…. You have to learn from it.”
