It may not have been a match for the ages, the roar from the Madrid's home stadium was familiar. After a long wait, Jude Bellingham once again found himself before the home supporters with his arms outstretched, basking in the fans' singing of Hey Jude. Following a lengthy layoff and uncertainty about his role, he scored his first goal of the season, ultimately securing 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 Secure the Victory
Courtois knew better than anyone, having to save a one-on-one from Dušan Vlahović and produce another decisive stop from Khéphren Thuram in the dying moments. This result 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 consider a promising opening, with those saves representing a missed chance around the closing stages; the team's reality though makes for worrying statistics.
“A side from Italy in difficulty is doubly threatening,” Xabi Alonso had remarked beforehand.
Juventus, who hadn’t won since last month, posed Madrid problems at the beginning and again near the end. Madrid dominated possession, with a significant advantage, but Juventus threatened on the counter, especially with the French defender running and Vlahović combining, managing 12 shots compared to the hosts' twenty-seven.
Promising Start for Visitors
They had started well, without a doubt. Within three minutes, they thought they were ahead, the forward somewhat unfortunate to be called for pulling the Brazilian defender. Three minutes later, the Madrid defender had to slide in front of Vlahović when Kalulu broke free on the right flank. And three minutes after that, Weston McKennie's shot was deflected wide.
What followed, from the defender's powerful strike, was a even better save. A quarter of an hour had gone. However, soon the Italians' momentum had dissipated as well. Madrid took control. Largely it was rather mechanical, though, and the three best opportunities fell to the French midfielder, who wouldn’t be the coach's preferred forward. A couple were headed over, a third one deflected wide; an additional chance with the head was wasted by the center-back.
Guler Shines
Most creative play were provided by Arda Güler. The Turk, whose play was the closest there was to fluidity, was always involved. His clever control and spin saw him deliver to the far post for the Englishman.
There was not much sign of the French superstar yet, but when he finally emerged it was the closest Madrid came to scoring. First his attempt was denied by Michele Di Gregorio, who would make several stops. Next some lovely fast footwork saw him evade Andrea Cambiaso repeatedly until he tumbled to the ground and laid off to Militão to fire over.
Second-Half Drama
Militão dived to stop the runner at the outset of the second half, and then came the regulation Courtois rescue when suddenly the attacker was through. The “inadvertent pass” had been remarkable, with the defender intercepting a ball inside his own penalty box and the ball bouncing from the instep of his boot directly through the center to beyond the halfway line. Racing after it, huge space appearing, the striker outpaced Militão, holding him off and heading into the area where Courtois made the stop.
Then what tends to happen happened, the stop compensated for by the score that comes after it. A burst from the Brazilian winger set up it, working himself enough space amid four men to release a driven effort which struck the upright. Lurking in that forward position was the goalscorer. The breakthrough found, Madrid ought to have sealed the game, Mbappé denied by Di Gregorio and the Uruguayan seeing his volley blocked by Gatti. Then the Juventus goalkeeper made a brilliant double stop from Mbappé and the attacking midfielder.
It was not the only one: as the match was drawing to a close, Raúl Asencio had to make a stunning sliding block as Madrid were opened up and at the mercy of Loïs Openda momentarily alone in the penalty box. Finally in the final seconds Courtois dived to deny the midfielder, his job complete. For Juve, there was no route to a comeback, the opening goal of the campaign the last of the encounter.
“It’s a great feeling, a long time now since I’ve scored, a period out and thinking of that moment, returning in the elite competition and against a major opponent. To score a winner, in our stadium, it’s incredible. I was at ease, really good. To perform was crucial and to net the match-winner helps the team a lot.”
Regarding his performance, he continued: “It wasn't that last year was a failure, with fifteen strikes, fourteen setups, but I know the general feeling was that it was poorer. But I was a contributor to that, how we didn’t play as well last year, there were nonetheless positive spells but not the standard I aim to play at, not the level 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 take lessons.”
