It may not have been a match for the ages, the chanting from the Madrid's home stadium was unmistakable. After a long wait, Jude Bellingham once again found himself before the south end with his arms wide open, basking in the crowd's rendition of his anthem. Following a lengthy layoff and questions about his position, he netted his first goal 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,” commented the Belgian goalkeeper.
Decisive Stops Ensure the Win
The shot-stopper understood better than anyone, having to save a clear chance from Dušan Vlahović and make another crucial save from Khéphren Thuram in the final minute. This result leaves Madrid on nine points and the opposition team below the cut. After a match with plenty of attempts but little elegance, the Juventus manager may consider a decent start, with those saves representing a missed chance around the 85-minute mark; their current situation though makes for worrying statistics.
“A side from Italy in trouble is twice as dangerous,” the Madrid coach had warned beforehand.
Juventus, who were without a victory since last month, did cause Madrid problems at the start and again near the end. Madrid dominated possession, 66%-34%, but Juventus were dangerous on the break, particularly with Pierre Kalulu running and Vlahović combining, managing a dozen attempts compared to the home side's twenty-seven.
Strong Opening for Visitors
The visitors began brightly, certainly. Within three minutes, they believed they were in front, the forward a little unfortunate to be penalized for holding Éder Militão. Shortly after, Raúl Asencio had to intervene in front of Vlahović when the wing-back broke free on the right flank. Then three minutes after that, the American midfielder's effort was pushed wide.
What followed, from Federico Gatti's drive, was a even better stop. A quarter of an hour had passed. That said, quickly the visitors' impetus had faded as well. Madrid took control. Mostly it was all a bit functional, however, and the three best opportunities came to the French midfielder, who is not the coach's preferred forward. A couple were headed over, a third one deflected wide; another headed opportunity 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 fluidity, was always involved. His neat stop and turn saw him clip to the far post for the Englishman.
There was not much sign of Kylian Mbappé early on, but when he did appear it was the nearest Madrid came to scoring. First his shot was stopped by Michele Di Gregorio, who would make eight saves. Next some exquisite dribbling saw him evade Andrea Cambiaso twice until he went down to the ground and laid off to his teammate to fire over.
Late Tension
Militão threw himself to stop the runner at the outset of the second period, and then came the regulation save from the keeper when suddenly Vlahović was away. The “assist” had been quite something, with the defender intercepting a pass inside his own area and the ball bouncing from the instep of his boot directly through the middle to beyond the halfway line. Sprinting after it, ample room 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 score that follows it. A flash from the Brazilian winger created it, working himself enough space amid four men to release a low, left-footed shot which hit the upright. Lurking in that forward position was Bellingham. The breakthrough found, Madrid ought to have sealed the game, the Frenchman denied by the keeper and the Uruguayan seeing his volley blocked by the defender. Subsequently the Juventus goalkeeper made a brilliant double stop from Mbappé and Brahim Díaz.
It was not the only one: as the game was drawing to a close, the defender had to make a stunning sliding block as Madrid were opened up and at the mercy of Loïs Openda momentarily alone in the area. Then 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 campaign the final of the match.
“It’s a great feeling, a long time now since I’ve scored, a lot of time 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 felt comfortable, really good. To perform was crucial and to net the match-winner helps the team greatly.”
As for his performance, he continued: “It wasn't that last year was a failure, still 15 goals, fourteen setups, but I know the perception was that it was poorer. But I was a part of that, how we underperformed last year, there were still good moments but not the standard I want to play at, not the caliber like the debut season. Now I’ve had my shoulder surgery, a new manager, he’s got that system, how we want to play…. You have to learn from it.”
