It may not have been a classic encounter, the chanting from the Santiago Bernabéu was unmistakable. Having been absent for some time, Jude Bellingham once again found himself before the home supporters with his arms wide open, listening to the crowd's rendition of Hey Jude. Following a shoulder injury and uncertainty about his position, he scored his first goal of the season, eventually delivering a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid over a Juventus side that made them work hard. “It was a tough battle,” commented the Belgian goalkeeper.
Decisive Stops Ensure the Win
The shot-stopper understood better than anyone, having to rescue a one-on-one from Dušan Vlahović and produce another decisive save from Khéphren Thuram in the final minute. The win puts Madrid on a strong tally and Igor Tudor’s team below the cut. After a match with more shots than fluid football, the Juventus manager may reflect on a promising opening, with those saves representing a missed chance around the closing stages; the team's reality however presents concerning reading.
“An Italian team in difficulty is twice as dangerous,” Xabi Alonso had remarked beforehand.
Juventus, who were without a victory since last month, posed Madrid problems at the beginning and once more near the end. Madrid dominated the ball, 66%-34%, but Juventus threatened on the counter, especially with Pierre Kalulu surging forward and the striker linking up, firing off 12 shots compared to the hosts' twenty-seven.
Strong Opening for Away Side
They had started well, certainly. Within three minutes, they believed they were in front, the forward a little unlucky to be called for pulling Éder Militão. Shortly after, the Madrid defender had to intervene ahead of him when the wing-back dashed clear on the right. Then three minutes after that, Weston McKennie's effort was pushed wide.
Next, from the defender's drive, was a more impressive save. Fifteen minutes had passed. That said, soon the visitors' impetus had dissipated as well. Madrid took control. Mostly it was all a bit functional, however, and the three best opportunities fell to the French midfielder, who wouldn’t be the coach's preferred forward. A couple were off target, a third one took a deflection; an additional chance with the head was missed by Militão.
Guler Shines
The best moments came from Arda Güler. The Turk, whose play was the closest there was to fluidity, was constantly in the action. His clever control and spin saw him clip to the back post for the Englishman.
There was not much sign of the French superstar yet, but when he finally emerged it was the nearest Madrid came to scoring. Initially his shot was stopped by the Juventus keeper, who would make several stops. Then some lovely fast footwork saw him turn the full-back twice until he went down to the ground and laid off to Militão to blast over.
Second-Half Drama
The Brazilian threw himself to halt Kalulu at the start of the second period, and then came the regulation save from the keeper when suddenly the attacker was through. The “assist” had been remarkable, with the defender intercepting a ball inside his own area and the sphere bouncing from the inside of his foot directly through the middle to beyond the halfway line. Racing after it, huge space opening, the striker raced Militão, using his strength and advancing into the area where the keeper saved.
Then the usual pattern happened, the stop compensated for by the score that comes after it. A flash from the Brazilian winger set up it, creating enough space amid multiple defenders to unleash a driven effort which hit the post. Lurking in that striker’s role was Bellingham. With the deadlock broken, Madrid should have finished it, Mbappé stopped by the keeper and Fede Valverde seeing his half-volley blocked by Gatti. Subsequently the Juventus goalkeeper made a superb quick saves from the forward and the attacking midfielder.
It was not the only one: as the match was slipping away, Raúl Asencio had to make a incredible last-ditch tackle as Madrid were opened up and at the risk of the substitute unmarked in the penalty box. Then in the dying moments the Madrid keeper dived to deny Thuram, his job done. For the visitors, there was no route to a comeback, the opening goal of the campaign the last of the match.
“I'm overjoyed, a while now since I’ve found the net, a period out and thinking of that moment, back in the Champions League and against a big team. To score a winner, in our stadium, it’s unbelievable. I was at ease, excellent. To perform was important and to score the winning goal benefits the team a lot.”
Regarding his form, he added: “It wasn't that last year was a failure, with 15 goals, 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 good moments but not the standard I aim to play at, not the caliber 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 take lessons.”
