It may not have been a match for the ages, the roar from the Santiago Bernabéu was familiar. After a long wait, Jude Bellingham finally stood before the south end with his arms outstretched, listening to the fans' rendition of his anthem. After a shoulder injury and uncertainty about his position, he netted his first goal of the campaign, ultimately delivering a narrow win for Real Madrid over a Italian opponent that made them work hard. “It was a tough battle,” stated Thibaut Courtois.
Key Saves Ensure the Win
The shot-stopper knew better than anyone, having to save a one-on-one from Dušan Vlahović and make another crucial save from Khéphren Thuram in the dying moments. This result puts Madrid on a strong tally and Igor Tudor’s team below the cut. At the end of a game with more shots than fluid football, the visiting coach may reflect on a promising opening, with those saves representing a missed chance around the closing stages; their current situation though presents concerning reading.
“A side from Italy in trouble is doubly threatening,” the Madrid coach had warned in advance.
Juventus, which were without a victory since last month, posed Madrid problems at the start and once more near the end. Madrid commanded possession, with a significant advantage, but Juventus threatened on the counter, particularly with Pierre Kalulu running and Vlahović combining, managing 12 shots compared to the home side's twenty-seven.
Strong Opening for Away Side
The visitors began brightly, without a doubt. Within three minutes, they thought they were in front, the forward somewhat unlucky to be penalized for pulling Éder Militão. Three minutes later, the Madrid defender had to intervene ahead of him when the wing-back broke free on the right. And three minutes after that, Weston McKennie's shot was pushed wide.
Next, from the defender's drive, was a even better save. A quarter of an hour had passed. However, quickly the Italians' momentum had dissipated 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 off target, a third one deflected wide; another headed opportunity was missed by Militão.
Guler Shines
The best moments came from the young Turk. Güler, whose football was the nearest thing there was to fluidity, was constantly in the action. His clever control and spin saw him deliver to the far post for the Englishman.
There was not much sign of Kylian Mbappé early on, but when he finally emerged it was the nearest Madrid got to a goal. First his shot was stopped by Michele Di Gregorio, who would make eight saves. Next some exquisite dribbling saw him turn the full-back repeatedly until he tumbled to the turf and set up Militão to blast over.
Second-Half Drama
The Brazilian dived to stop the runner at the start of the second half, and then came the customary Courtois rescue when suddenly the attacker was away. The “assist” had been remarkable, with Lloyd Kelly cutting out a ball inside his own penalty box and the ball deflecting from the instep of his foot directly through the middle to past the halfway line. Racing after it, ample room appearing, Vlahović raced his marker, using his strength and heading into the area where Courtois saved.
Then what tends to happen occurred, the save made good by the score that follows it. A burst from Vinícius Júnior created it, working himself enough room amid multiple defenders to unleash a low, left-footed shot which struck the post. Lurking in that forward position was the goalscorer. The breakthrough found, Madrid should have finished it, the Frenchman stopped by the keeper and Fede Valverde seeing his volley blocked by the defender. Then Di Gregorio made a superb quick saves from the forward and Brahim Díaz.
It was not the only one: as the game was drawing to a close, Raúl Asencio had to make a incredible last-ditch tackle as Madrid were exposed and at the risk of Loïs Openda unmarked in the area. Finally in the final seconds Courtois dived to deny the midfielder, his work complete. For Juve, there was no way back, the opening goal of the campaign the last of the match.
“It’s a great feeling, a while now since I’ve scored, a lot of time out and thinking of that instant, back in the elite competition and against a big team. To get the decisive goal, here at home, it’s incredible. I was at ease, really good. To perform was important and to score the winning goal helps the team a lot.”
Regarding his form, he continued: “It wasn't that last year was a failure, still 15 goals, 14 assists, but I know the general feeling was that it was poorer. But I was a part of that, how we underperformed last year, there were nonetheless 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 different coach, he’s got that system, how we intend to play…. You have to learn from it.”
