It may not have been a match for the ages, the chanting from the Santiago Bernabéu was unmistakable. Having been absent for some time, Jude Bellingham once again found himself before the south end with his arms wide open, listening to the crowd's rendition of Hey Jude. Following a lengthy layoff and uncertainty about his position, he scored his opening strike of the season, ultimately delivering a narrow win for Real Madrid over a Italian opponent that put up a fight. “It was a tough battle,” stated Thibaut Courtois.
Decisive Stops Ensure the Victory
Courtois knew perfectly well, having to save a clear chance from Dušan Vlahović and produce another crucial save from Khéphren Thuram in the dying moments. This result puts Madrid on nine points and Igor Tudor’s team below the cut. After a game with more shots than fluid football, the visiting coach may reflect on a decent start, with those opportunities representing a missed chance around the 85-minute mark; their current situation though presents concerning reading.
“An Italian team in trouble is doubly threatening,” Xabi Alonso had remarked beforehand.
Juventus, who were without a victory since September, posed Madrid problems at the start and once more near the conclusion. Madrid commanded possession, with a significant advantage, but Juventus were dangerous on the break, especially with the French defender surging forward and Vlahović linking up, firing off 12 shots compared to the home side's twenty-seven.
Promising Start for Away Side
The visitors began brightly, certainly. After just three minutes, they believed they were in front, the forward somewhat unlucky to be penalized for holding the Brazilian defender. Shortly after, the Madrid defender had to slide ahead of Vlahović when the wing-back broke free on the right flank. And three minutes after that, the American midfielder's effort was pushed past the post.
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 faded as well. Madrid assumed command. Mostly it was all a bit functional, however, and the three best opportunities fell to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who is not Alonso’s striker of choice. A couple were headed over, a third one deflected wide; another chance with the head was wasted by the center-back.
Guler Shines
The best moments were provided by Arda Güler. The Turk, whose play was the closest there was to fluidity, 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 did appear it was the nearest Madrid came to scoring. Initially his attempt was stopped by the Juventus keeper, who would make eight saves. Then some exquisite dribbling saw him evade Andrea Cambiaso repeatedly until he tumbled to the turf and set up his teammate to blast over.
Second-Half Drama
Militão threw himself to stop the runner at the start of the second period, and then came the regulation Courtois rescue when unexpectedly Vlahović was through. The “assist” had been quite something, with Lloyd Kelly intercepting a pass inside his own area and the ball deflecting from the inside of his foot directly through the center to beyond the halfway line. Racing after it, huge space appearing, Vlahović raced Militão, holding him off and heading into the box where the keeper made the stop.
Next what tends to happen happened, the save made good by the score that comes after it. A burst from the Brazilian winger created it, creating enough space amid multiple defenders to unleash a driven effort which struck the post. Lurking in that forward position was Bellingham. With the deadlock broken, Madrid should have finished it, Mbappé denied by Di Gregorio and the Uruguayan seeing his volley deflected by Gatti. Subsequently Di Gregorio made a superb quick saves from the forward and Brahim Díaz.
It was not the only one: as the game was drawing to a close, the defender had to make a incredible last-ditch tackle as Madrid were opened up and at the risk of Loïs Openda momentarily alone in the penalty box. Finally in the final seconds Courtois dived to stop Thuram, his work done. For Juve, there was no route to a comeback, Bellingham’s first of the season the final of the match.
“I'm overjoyed, a while now since I’ve found the net, a lot of time out and thinking of that moment, returning in the elite competition and against a major opponent. 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.”
Regarding his form, he added: “I didn’t think last year was a disaster, with fifteen strikes, 14 assists, but I understand the perception was that it was worse. 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 caliber like the debut season. Now I’ve had my operation, a different coach, he’s got that system, how we intend to play…. You have to learn from it.”
