It may not have been a classic encounter, the chanting from the Madrid's home stadium was unmistakable. Having been absent for some time, Jude Bellingham finally stood before the south end with his arms outstretched, basking in the crowd's singing of his anthem. Following a shoulder injury and uncertainty about his role, he scored his opening strike of the campaign, eventually securing a narrow win for Real Madrid over a Juventus side that put up a fight. “We had to sweat for it,” commented Thibaut Courtois.
Key Saves Ensure the Victory
Courtois understood perfectly well, having to rescue a clear chance from the Serbian striker and produce another crucial save from Khéphren Thuram in the final minute. The win leaves Madrid on nine points 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; their current situation however makes for worrying statistics.
“An Italian team in trouble is twice as dangerous,” Xabi Alonso had warned beforehand.
Juventus, which were without a victory since September, posed Madrid issues at the beginning and once more near the conclusion. Madrid dominated the ball, 66%-34%, but Juventus threatened on the counter, especially with the French defender surging forward and Vlahović combining, firing off a dozen attempts compared to the home side's 27.
Strong Opening for Away Side
The visitors began brightly, without a doubt. Within three minutes, they believed they were ahead, the forward a little unfortunate to be called for pulling the Brazilian defender. Three minutes later, the Madrid defender had to intervene ahead of Vlahović when the wing-back dashed clear on the right. And soon after, Weston McKennie's effort was pushed wide.
Next, from Federico Gatti's powerful strike, was a more impressive save. Fifteen minutes had passed. That said, soon the Italians' momentum had faded too. Madrid took control. Mostly it was rather mechanical, though, and the three best opportunities fell to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who is not Alonso’s striker of choice. Two were off target, a third one deflected wide; another headed opportunity was wasted by the center-back.
Turkish Talent Impresses
The best moments came from Arda Güler. The Turk, whose football was the nearest thing there was to fluidity, was always involved. His neat stop and turn saw him deliver to the far post for the Englishman.
There was not much sign of the French superstar yet, but when he finally emerged it was the nearest Madrid got to scoring. Initially his attempt was stopped by the Juventus keeper, who would produce eight saves. Then some exquisite dribbling saw him turn the full-back repeatedly until he tumbled to the turf and set up Militão to blast over.
Second-Half Drama
The Brazilian dived to halt the runner at the start of the second half, and then came the customary Courtois rescue when unexpectedly Vlahović was through. The “assist” had been remarkable, with Lloyd Kelly cutting out a pass inside his own penalty box and the sphere deflecting from the instep of his boot right through the center to beyond the halfway line. Sprinting after it, ample room appearing, the striker outpaced his marker, using his strength and advancing into the area where Courtois saved.
Next what tends to happen occurred, the save made good by the score that comes after it. A flash from the Brazilian winger created it, working himself enough space amid multiple defenders to release a driven effort which struck the post. Lurking in that forward position was the goalscorer. With the deadlock broken, Madrid ought to have sealed the game, Mbappé stopped by Di Gregorio and the Uruguayan seeing his volley blocked by the defender. Subsequently the Juventus goalkeeper made a superb quick saves from Mbappé 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 opened up and at the risk of Loïs Openda unmarked in the penalty box. Finally in the dying moments the Madrid keeper dived to deny Thuram, his work complete. For Juve, there was no route to a comeback, Bellingham’s first of the campaign the final of the encounter.
“It’s a great feeling, a while now since I’ve scored, a period out and dreaming of that instant, returning in the Champions League and against a big team. To score a winner, in our stadium, it’s incredible. I felt comfortable, excellent. To perform was crucial and to score the winning goal helps the team a lot.”
Regarding his form, he continued: “It wasn't that last year was a disaster, still 15 goals, 14 assists, but I know the general feeling was that it was poorer. But I was a part of that, how we underperformed last year, there were nonetheless positive spells but not the level I want to play at, not the level like the debut season. Now I’ve had my shoulder surgery, a different coach, he’s got that system, how we intend to play…. You have to learn from it.”
