It may not have been a match for the ages, the chanting from the Madrid's home stadium was unmistakable. Having been absent for some time, Jude Bellingham finally found himself before the south end with his arms wide open, listening to the crowd's rendition of Hey Jude. After a lengthy layoff and questions 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. “We had to sweat for it,” stated Thibaut Courtois.
Decisive Stops Ensure the Win
Courtois understood better than anyone, having to rescue a one-on-one from Dušan Vlahović and produce another decisive stop from Khéphren Thuram in the final minute. The win leaves Madrid on nine points and Igor Tudor’s team outside the qualifying spots. At the end of a game with plenty of attempts but little elegance, the visiting coach may reflect on a decent start, with those saves representing a wasted moment around the 85-minute mark; the team's reality though presents worrying statistics.
“A side from Italy in difficulty is twice as dangerous,” Xabi Alonso had warned in advance.
The Turin-based club, which were without a victory since last month, posed Madrid problems at the beginning and once more near the end. Madrid commanded possession, 66%-34%, but Juventus were dangerous on the break, particularly with Pierre Kalulu running and Vlahović linking up, firing off 12 shots compared to the hosts' 27.
Strong Opening for Away Side
They had started well, certainly. After just three minutes, they thought they were ahead, the forward somewhat unfortunate to be penalized for holding Éder Militão. Three minutes later, Raúl Asencio had to intervene in front of Vlahović when Kalulu dashed clear on the right. And three minutes after that, Weston McKennie's effort was pushed wide.
Next, from Federico Gatti's drive, was a more impressive save. Fifteen minutes had passed. That said, soon the visitors' impetus had dissipated as well. Madrid assumed command. Largely it was rather mechanical, however, and the top chances fell to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who is not Alonso’s striker of choice. A couple were headed over, a third deflected wide; another headed opportunity was missed by the center-back.
Turkish Talent Impresses
Most creative play were provided by the young Turk. Güler, whose play was the closest there was to fluidity, was always involved. His clever control and spin saw him clip to the back post for Bellingham.
Little was seen of the French superstar yet, but when he finally emerged it was the closest Madrid came to scoring. First his shot was stopped by the Juventus keeper, who would produce several stops. Next some exquisite dribbling saw him turn Andrea Cambiaso twice until he went down to the ground and laid off to Militão to blast over.
Late Tension
The Brazilian dived to stop Kalulu at the start of the second half, and then came the customary save from the keeper when unexpectedly Vlahović was through. The “assist” had been remarkable, with Lloyd Kelly cutting out a pass inside his own area and the sphere deflecting from the instep of his boot right through the middle to beyond the halfway line. Sprinting after it, huge space appearing, the striker outpaced Militão, holding him off and advancing into the area where Courtois made the stop.
Then what tends to happen happened, the save compensated for by the goal that comes after it. A flash from Vinícius Júnior created it, working himself enough space amid four men to release a driven effort which hit the upright. Positioned in that striker’s role was the goalscorer. With the deadlock broken, Madrid should have finished it, Mbappé denied by Di Gregorio and Fede Valverde seeing his half-volley blocked by the defender. Subsequently Di Gregorio made a superb quick saves from the forward and the attacking midfielder.
It was not the only one: as the match was drawing to a close, the defender had to make a stunning sliding block as Madrid were exposed and at the mercy of Loïs Openda momentarily alone in the penalty box. Finally in the final seconds Courtois dived to deny Thuram, his job complete. For the visitors, there was no route to a comeback, the opening goal of the season the last of the encounter.
“I'm overjoyed, a long time now since I’ve scored, a lot of time out and dreaming of that moment, returning in the Champions League and against a major opponent. To score a winner, in our stadium, it’s unbelievable. I felt comfortable, excellent. To play well was important and to score the winning goal helps the team greatly.”
As for his form, he added: “I didn’t think last year was a disaster, with fifteen strikes, 14 assists, 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 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 different coach, he’s got that system, how we want to play…. You have to take lessons.”
