It may not have been a classic encounter, the chanting from the Santiago Bernabéu was unmistakable. After a long wait, Jude Bellingham once again found himself before the home supporters with his arms outstretched, listening to the crowd's rendition of his anthem. After a shoulder injury and questions about his position, he netted his first goal of the season, eventually securing a narrow win for Real Madrid over a Juventus side that put up a fight. “It was a tough battle,” commented Thibaut Courtois.
Decisive Stops Secure the Win
Courtois understood better than anyone, having to save a one-on-one from the Serbian striker and make another crucial save from Khéphren Thuram in the final minute. This result puts Madrid on a strong tally and the opposition team below the cut. At the end of a match with plenty of attempts but little elegance, the Juventus manager may consider a promising opening, with those opportunities representing a wasted moment around the 85-minute mark; the team's reality though makes for worrying statistics.
“A side from Italy in trouble is doubly threatening,” Xabi Alonso had warned in advance.
The Turin-based club, who hadn’t won since September, did cause Madrid problems at the beginning and once more near the conclusion. Madrid commanded the ball, 66%-34%, but Juventus were dangerous on the break, especially with Pierre Kalulu surging forward and Vlahović combining, managing a dozen attempts compared to the hosts' 27.
Strong Opening for Away Side
The visitors began brightly, certainly. Within three minutes, they thought they were ahead, Vlahović somewhat unfortunate to be penalized for holding the Brazilian defender. Three minutes later, Raúl Asencio had to slide in front of him when the wing-back dashed clear on the right flank. And soon after, Weston McKennie's effort was pushed wide.
What followed, from the defender's powerful strike, was a even better stop. Fifteen minutes had passed. However, soon the visitors' impetus had faded too. Madrid took control. Mostly it was rather mechanical, however, and the top chances came to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who wouldn’t be Alonso’s striker of choice. Two were off target, a third deflected wide; another headed opportunity was missed by Militão.
Guler Shines
The best moments were provided by Arda Güler. The Turk, whose play was the closest there was to smooth attacking, was always involved. His neat stop and turn saw him deliver to the back post for Bellingham.
There was not much sign of Kylian Mbappé early on, but when he finally emerged it was the nearest Madrid got to scoring. Initially his shot was denied by the Juventus keeper, who would produce several stops. Next some exquisite dribbling saw him evade the full-back repeatedly until he went down to the ground and set up his teammate to blast over.
Second-Half Drama
Militão dived to halt the runner at the outset of the second half, and then came the customary save from the keeper when unexpectedly the attacker was away. The “inadvertent pass” had been quite something, with the defender cutting out a pass inside his own penalty box and the sphere bouncing from the instep of his boot right through the center to beyond the halfway line. Sprinting after it, huge space appearing, Vlahović outpaced Militão, using his strength and advancing into the box where Courtois saved.
Then the usual pattern occurred, the save compensated for by the goal that comes after it. A burst from Vinícius Júnior created it, working himself enough room amid four men to release a driven effort which struck the post. Positioned in that striker’s role was the goalscorer. With the deadlock broken, Madrid should have finished it, the Frenchman stopped by the keeper and the Uruguayan seeing his volley blocked by Gatti. Then Di Gregorio made a brilliant double stop from Mbappé and Brahim Díaz.
There were more scares: as the game 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 momentarily alone in the penalty box. Then in the dying moments the Madrid keeper dived to stop the midfielder, his job complete. For Juve, there was no route to a comeback, Bellingham’s first of the season the last of the match.
“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 get the decisive goal, here at home, it’s incredible. I was at ease, really good. To play well was important and to score the winning goal helps the team a lot.”
As for his form, he added: “I didn’t think last year was a failure, with 15 goals, fourteen setups, but I understand 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 still good moments but not the standard I aim to play at, not the level like the first year. 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.”
