.png)
5 hours ago
2
It wasn’t a classic, but the chorus from the Santiago Bernabéu was. It had been a while and they had missed moments like this, but for the first time since April Fool’s Day Jude Bellingham stood before the south end of this stadium with his arms wide listening to them sing Hey Jude. There had been a shoulder injury, and doubts about his role too, but now he had scored his first goal of the season, ultimately took Real Madrid to a 1-0 win over a Juventus side that aren’t what they once were.
With just two points and sitting below the cut, the Italians may yet struggle to progress from the league phase of a competition in which they have played nine finals. They may reflect on a decent start, an exceptional Thibaut Courtois save, a great opportunity wasted on 85 minutes and another save from Courtois in added time. Madrid had lived dangerously at times, but ultimately though had done more, racking up 30 shots and their third win in three.
“An Italian team in trouble is twice as dangerous,” Xabi Alonso said, and if that wasn’t entirely true, there were a few moments early on that suggested Juventus, who hadn’t won since September, could cause Madrid problems. Lined up in a 5-3-2, with the wing-backs allowed to run, Pierre Kalulu in particular, Juventus began brightly. Madrid dominated possession, the stats saying 70%-30% in the first half, but there was an intent about the visitors when they ventured forwards during those early moments.
After only three minutes, they thought they were away, Dusan Vlahovic a little unfortunate to be penalised for pulling at Éder Militão. Three minutes later, Raúl Asencio had to slide across ahead of Vlahovic when Kalulu dashed clear on the right again. And three minutes after that, Weston McKennie saw a shot pushed past the post. That was a simple enough save; what followed, from Federico Gatti’s drive, impressed more. Fifteen minutes had gone; that said, soon the momentum had too.
Madrid took control, the corners racking up. Mostly it was all a bit functional, though, and the three best opportunities – if they could be called that – came to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who wouldn’t be Alonso’s striker of choice. Two were headed over, a third deflected wide; another half chance was headed over by Militão. What little there was of note came from Arda Guler, whose neat stop and turn saw him clip to the far post for Jude Bellingham, and there was at least a business about Brahim Díaz.
There was not much sign of Vinícius Júnior or even Kylian Mbappé, but when the latter did appear it was as close as Madrid got to scoring in the first half; first as a finisher and then as a provider. Turning and falling on the edge of the area, Díaz managed to nudge the ball into his path and his shot was stopped by Michele Di Gregorio. Soon after, some lovely fast footwork from the Frenchman, turning Andrea Cambiaso twice until he tumbled to the turf and then stepping away from Kenan Yildiz, set up Militão to fire over.
The Brazilian made a more significant intervention when he dived in to stop Kalulu at the start of the second half, and then came the regulation Courtois rescue when Vlahovic was away. The “assist” had been quite something, Lloyd Kelly cutting out a pass inside his own area, the ball bouncing straight from the instep of his boot, along the floor and right through the middle all the way over the halfway line. Sprinting after it, huge space opening before them, Vlahovic raced Militão to the ball, got there first, held him off and continued into the area just ahead of the defender, where he fired off the shot. Courtois stopped it with his left leg.
after newsletter promotion
Then what tends to happen happened, the save made good by the goal that follows it. Vinícius Júnior made it, turning inside the area and, surrounded by four men, working himself just enough space to release a low, left-footed shot. The ball came back off the post and lurking there in that striker’s role ready to finish it off was Bellingham. Madrid might have added a second, Mbappé having one chance, stopped by Di Gregorio, and Fede Valverde volleying a deep corner goalwards only to be blocked by Gatti. Then when Vinícius Júnior went at Juventus, Di Gregorio made a superb double save from Mbappé and Díaz.
Speaking of fantastic saves, just as the game was slipping away, Raúl Asencio had to make a fantastic, sliding intervention to block Lois Openda as Madrid were opened up and a glorious chance to leave here with something was presented to Juventus only for the forward to be as slow as the defender was fast. Then in the final seconds Courtois flew in to deny Khéphren Thuram. It had been close but there would be no way back, Bellingham’s first of the season the last of the match.
