It may not have been a classic encounter, the chanting from the Santiago Bernabéu was unmistakable. After a long wait, Jude Bellingham finally stood before the south end with his arms wide open, listening to the crowd's singing of Hey Jude. After a shoulder injury and uncertainty about his position, he scored his opening strike of the campaign, ultimately securing a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid over a Italian opponent that made them work hard. “It was a tough battle,” stated the Belgian goalkeeper.
Decisive Stops Secure the Win
The shot-stopper understood better than anyone, having to save a one-on-one from Dušan Vlahović and produce another crucial stop from Khéphren Thuram in the final minute. This result puts Madrid on a strong tally and the opposition team below the cut. At the end of a match with plenty of attempts but little elegance, the visiting coach may reflect on a promising opening, with those saves representing a missed chance around the closing stages; the team's reality however presents worrying statistics.
“An Italian team in trouble is doubly threatening,” Xabi Alonso had warned in advance.
Juventus, who hadn’t won since September, posed Madrid problems at the start and once more near the conclusion. Madrid dominated possession, 66%-34%, but Juventus threatened on the counter, particularly with Pierre Kalulu surging forward and Vlahović combining, firing off a dozen attempts compared to the home side's twenty-seven.
Promising Start for Visitors
They had started well, certainly. Within three minutes, they thought they were in front, the forward somewhat unfortunate to be penalized for pulling Éder Militão. Three minutes later, the Madrid defender had to intervene in front of him when Kalulu dashed clear on the right. Then soon after, the American midfielder's effort was deflected wide.
Next, from Federico Gatti's drive, was a even better save. A quarter of an hour had passed. That said, quickly the visitors' impetus had faded as well. Madrid assumed command. Largely it was all a bit functional, though, and the three best opportunities fell to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who is not the coach's preferred forward. A couple were headed over, a third deflected wide; another chance with the head was wasted by the center-back.
Turkish Talent Impresses
Most creative play were provided by Arda Güler. Güler, whose play was the closest there was to smooth attacking, was always involved. His clever control and spin saw him clip to the back post for the Englishman.
Little was seen of the French superstar yet, but when he finally emerged it was the closest Madrid got to a goal. First his shot was denied by the Juventus keeper, who would produce eight saves. Then some exquisite dribbling saw him evade the full-back repeatedly until he tumbled to the ground and laid off to his teammate to fire over.
Late Tension
Militão dived to halt the runner at the start of the second half, and then came the customary Courtois rescue when suddenly Vlahović was away. The “inadvertent pass” had been remarkable, with Lloyd Kelly cutting out a ball inside his own area and the ball deflecting from the instep of his boot right through the middle to past the halfway line. Sprinting after it, ample room opening, the striker outpaced Militão, using his strength and advancing into the box where the keeper saved.
Then what tends to happen happened, the stop made good by the score that follows it. A flash from the Brazilian winger created it, creating enough space amid four men to unleash a driven effort which hit the post. Lurking in that forward position was the goalscorer. With the deadlock broken, Madrid should have finished it, the Frenchman denied by the keeper and the Uruguayan seeing his half-volley deflected by the defender. Subsequently Di Gregorio made a brilliant double stop from the forward and Brahim Díaz.
There were more scares: as the match was slipping away, the defender had to make a stunning sliding block as Madrid were opened up and at the mercy of the substitute unmarked in the area. Then in the dying moments Courtois dived to deny the midfielder, his work complete. For the visitors, there was no route to a comeback, the opening goal of the campaign the final of the match.
“I'm overjoyed, a while now since I’ve scored, a period out and dreaming of that instant, returning in the Champions League and against a major opponent. To get the decisive goal, here at home, it’s unbelievable. I felt comfortable, really good. To play well was crucial and to net the match-winner benefits the team a lot.”
Regarding his form, he continued: “I didn’t think last year was a failure, with 15 goals, fourteen setups, but I understand the perception was that it was worse. But I was a contributor to that, how we underperformed last year, there were nonetheless good moments but not the standard I want to play at, not the level like the first year. Now I’ve had my operation, a new manager, he’s got that shape, how we want to play…. You have to learn from it.”
