It may not have been a classic encounter, the roar from the Santiago Bernabéu was unmistakable. After a long wait, Jude Bellingham once again stood before the south end with his arms outstretched, basking in the fans' singing of Hey Jude. After a lengthy layoff and uncertainty about his role, he netted his opening strike of the season, ultimately securing a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid over a Juventus side that made them work hard. “We had to sweat for it,” commented the Belgian goalkeeper.
Key Saves Secure the Victory
Courtois knew perfectly well, having to rescue a clear chance from the Serbian striker and make another decisive stop from the French midfielder in the final minute. The win leaves Madrid on a strong tally and the opposition team outside the qualifying spots. At the end of a game with plenty of attempts but little elegance, the visiting coach may reflect on a promising opening, with those opportunities representing a wasted moment around the 85-minute mark; their current situation however makes for concerning reading.
“A side from Italy in difficulty is doubly threatening,” the Madrid coach had remarked in advance.
Juventus, who hadn’t won since last month, did cause Madrid problems at the beginning and again near the conclusion. Madrid dominated possession, 66%-34%, but Juventus threatened on the counter, particularly with Pierre Kalulu running and the striker combining, firing off 12 shots compared to the hosts' 27.
Promising Start for Away Side
They had started well, certainly. Within three minutes, they believed they were ahead, Vlahović a little unfortunate to be penalized for pulling Éder Militão. Three minutes later, Raúl Asencio had to slide ahead of him when the wing-back broke free on the right. And three minutes after that, the American midfielder's shot was pushed past the post.
What followed, from Federico Gatti's drive, was a even better save. Fifteen minutes had passed. However, soon the Italians' momentum had dissipated as well. Madrid took control. Largely it was all a bit functional, however, and the top chances came to the French midfielder, who wouldn’t be Alonso’s striker of choice. Two were headed over, a third deflected wide; an additional chance with the head was missed by Militão.
Turkish Talent Impresses
Most creative play came from the young Turk. The Turk, whose play was the closest there was to smooth attacking, was constantly in the action. His neat stop and turn saw him deliver to the back post for Bellingham.
Little was seen of the French superstar yet, but when he did appear it was the nearest Madrid came to scoring. Initially his attempt was denied by the Juventus keeper, who would produce several stops. Next some lovely fast footwork saw him evade Andrea Cambiaso repeatedly until he went down to the turf and laid off to his teammate to blast over.
Second-Half Drama
The Brazilian dived to halt the runner at the outset of the second period, and then came the regulation save from the keeper when unexpectedly the attacker was through. The “inadvertent pass” had been quite something, with Lloyd Kelly intercepting a pass inside his own area and the ball deflecting from the inside of his boot directly through the center to beyond the halfway line. Sprinting after it, ample room opening, the striker raced Militão, using his strength and heading into the area where Courtois saved.
Next what tends to happen occurred, the stop compensated for by the goal that comes after it. A flash from the Brazilian winger created it, creating enough space amid four men to unleash a low, left-footed shot which hit the upright. Positioned in that forward position was the goalscorer. With the deadlock broken, Madrid should have finished it, the Frenchman denied by the keeper and Fede Valverde seeing his half-volley blocked by Gatti. Then Di Gregorio made a superb quick saves from the forward and the attacking midfielder.
There were more scares: as the match was drawing to a close, the defender had to make a incredible last-ditch tackle as Madrid were opened up and at the mercy of the substitute unmarked in the penalty box. Then in the dying moments Courtois dived to deny the midfielder, his work done. For the visitors, there was no route to a comeback, Bellingham’s first of the season the last of the match.
“I'm overjoyed, a while now since I’ve found the net, a period out and dreaming of that instant, back in the elite competition and against a major opponent. To get the decisive goal, in our stadium, it’s incredible. I felt comfortable, really good. To play well was important and to score the winning goal helps the team a lot.”
As for his performance, he added: “I didn’t think last year was a failure, with fifteen strikes, fourteen setups, but I know the general feeling was that it was worse. But I was a part of that, how we underperformed last year, there were still good moments but not the level I aim to play at, not the caliber like the first year. Now I’ve had my shoulder surgery, a new manager, he’s got that shape, how we want to play…. You have to take lessons.”
