It may not have been a match for the ages, the roar from the Madrid's home stadium 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 fans' singing of Hey Jude. Following 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,” commented the Belgian goalkeeper.
Decisive Stops Secure the Victory
Courtois knew better than anyone, having to save 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 the opposition team below the cut. At the end of a game with more shots than fluid football, the Juventus manager may reflect on a decent start, with those saves representing a wasted moment around the 85-minute mark; their current situation though presents concerning reading.
“A side from Italy in trouble is twice as dangerous,” Xabi Alonso had warned in advance.
The Turin-based club, who were without a victory since September, posed Madrid issues at the beginning and again near the end. Madrid commanded possession, with a significant advantage, but Juventus were dangerous on the break, especially with the French defender surging forward and Vlahović combining, firing off 12 shots compared to the hosts' 27.
Strong Opening for Away Side
The visitors began brightly, certainly. After just three minutes, they thought they were in front, the forward a little unfortunate to be called for pulling Éder Militão. Three minutes later, Raúl Asencio had to intervene in front of Vlahović when the wing-back broke free on the right. 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. Fifteen minutes had gone. That said, soon the visitors' impetus had faded too. Madrid assumed command. Mostly it was rather mechanical, however, and the three best opportunities fell to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who wouldn’t be Alonso’s striker of choice. Two were off target, a third deflected wide; another chance with the head was wasted by Militão.
Guler Shines
The best moments were provided by Arda Güler. Güler, whose football was the nearest thing there was to smooth attacking, was always involved. His neat stop and turn saw him clip to the far post for the Englishman.
Little was seen of the French superstar yet, but when he finally emerged it was the nearest Madrid came to a goal. First his attempt was stopped by the Juventus keeper, who would produce several stops. Next some lovely fast footwork saw him evade Andrea Cambiaso repeatedly until he tumbled to the ground and set up Militão to blast over.
Second-Half Drama
The Brazilian threw himself to stop Kalulu at the outset of the second period, and then came the regulation Courtois rescue when suddenly Vlahović was away. The “inadvertent pass” had been quite something, with the defender cutting out a pass inside his own penalty box and the sphere deflecting from the instep of his boot right through the middle to beyond the halfway line. Sprinting after it, huge space opening, the striker outpaced Militão, using his strength and advancing into the area where the keeper made the stop.
Then the usual pattern occurred, the stop compensated for by the score that follows it. A burst from the Brazilian winger created it, creating enough space amid four men to release a driven effort which hit the post. Positioned in that forward position was Bellingham. With the deadlock broken, Madrid ought to have sealed the game, the Frenchman denied by Di Gregorio and Fede Valverde seeing his volley blocked by Gatti. Then Di Gregorio made a brilliant double stop from Mbappé and the attacking midfielder.
It was not the only one: as the game was drawing to a close, Raúl Asencio had to make a stunning sliding block as Madrid were exposed and at the risk of the substitute unmarked in the area. Then in the final seconds the Madrid keeper flew in to stop the midfielder, his work complete. 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 long time now since I’ve found the net, a period out and thinking of that instant, back in the Champions League and against a big team. To get the decisive goal, here at home, it’s incredible. I was at ease, excellent. To play well was important and to net the match-winner benefits the team a lot.”
Regarding his performance, he continued: “It wasn't that last year was a disaster, with 15 goals, 14 assists, 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 nonetheless positive spells but not the level I want to play at, not the level like the first year. 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.”
