It may not have been a match for the ages, the chanting from the Madrid's home stadium was unmistakable. Having been absent for some time, Jude Bellingham once again stood before the south end with his arms wide open, listening to the crowd's rendition of his anthem. Following a shoulder injury and questions about his position, he netted his opening strike of the season, eventually delivering a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid over a Italian opponent that put up a fight. “It was a tough battle,” stated Thibaut Courtois.
Decisive Stops Secure the Win
The shot-stopper knew perfectly well, having to save a one-on-one from Dušan Vlahović and produce another crucial save from Khéphren Thuram in the dying moments. The win leaves Madrid on nine points and the opposition team below the cut. At the end of a game with more shots than fluid football, the visiting coach may reflect on a decent start, with those saves representing a missed chance around the closing stages; their current situation though makes for worrying statistics.
“An Italian team in difficulty is twice as dangerous,” the Madrid coach had remarked in advance.
The Turin-based club, who hadn’t won since September, posed Madrid issues at the start and again near the conclusion. Madrid dominated the ball, 66%-34%, but Juventus threatened on the counter, especially with Pierre Kalulu surging forward and the striker linking up, managing a dozen attempts compared to the hosts' 27.
Promising Start for Away Side
They had started well, certainly. After just three minutes, they thought they were ahead, Vlahović a little unfortunate to be called for pulling the Brazilian defender. Three minutes later, the Madrid defender had to slide ahead of Vlahović when the wing-back broke free on the right. Then three minutes after that, the American midfielder's effort was deflected wide.
Next, from Federico Gatti's powerful strike, was a even better save. A quarter of an hour had gone. That said, quickly the Italians' momentum had dissipated as well. Madrid took control. Mostly it was rather mechanical, however, and the top chances fell to the French midfielder, who wouldn’t be Alonso’s striker of choice. A couple were headed over, a third one deflected wide; an additional chance with the head was missed by Militão.
Guler Shines
The best moments came from the young Turk. The Turk, whose football was the closest there was to smooth attacking, was always involved. His neat stop and turn saw him deliver to the far post for the Englishman.
Little was seen of the French superstar early on, but when he finally emerged it was the closest Madrid got to a goal. First his attempt was stopped by the Juventus keeper, who would make several stops. Then some exquisite dribbling saw him turn the full-back twice until he went down to the turf and set up Militão to blast over.
Second-Half Drama
The Brazilian threw himself to halt the runner at the outset of the second half, and then came the regulation save from the keeper when suddenly the attacker was through. The “inadvertent pass” had been quite something, with Lloyd Kelly cutting out a pass inside his own area and the sphere deflecting from the instep of his boot right through the center to beyond the center circle. Racing after it, ample room appearing, the striker raced his marker, holding him off and heading into the box where the keeper made the stop.
Then what tends to happen happened, the stop made good by the score that follows it. A burst from Vinícius Júnior set up it, creating enough room amid multiple defenders to release a low, left-footed shot which hit the post. Positioned in that forward position was Bellingham. The breakthrough found, Madrid should have finished it, the Frenchman stopped by Di Gregorio and Fede Valverde seeing his half-volley blocked by Gatti. Subsequently Di Gregorio made a superb quick saves from Mbappé and the attacking midfielder.
It was not the only one: as the match was drawing to a close, Raúl Asencio had to make a incredible last-ditch tackle as Madrid were exposed and at the mercy of Loïs Openda unmarked in the penalty box. Finally in the final seconds 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 campaign the last of the match.
“It’s a great feeling, a long time now since I’ve scored, a period out and dreaming of that instant, back in the elite competition and against a major opponent. To get the decisive goal, here at home, it’s unbelievable. I was at ease, excellent. To perform was crucial and to score the winning goal helps the team a lot.”
As for his form, he continued: “It wasn't that last year was a disaster, with fifteen strikes, fourteen setups, 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 positive spells 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.”
