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It may not have been a classic encounter, the roar from the Santiago Bernabéu was familiar. After a long wait, Jude Bellingham finally stood before the south end with his arms wide open, basking in the fans' rendition of Hey Jude. After a lengthy layoff and uncertainty about his position, he netted his opening strike of the season, ultimately delivering a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid over a Italian opponent that made them work hard. “It was a tough battle,” commented Thibaut Courtois.

Decisive Stops Ensure the Victory

Courtois knew perfectly well, having to save a one-on-one from Dušan Vlahović and make another decisive save from the French midfielder in the final minute. 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 opportunities representing a missed chance around the 85-minute mark; their current situation however makes for worrying statistics.

“A side from Italy in trouble is doubly threatening,” the Madrid coach had warned beforehand.

The Turin-based club, who hadn’t won since last month, posed Madrid issues at the start and again near the end. Madrid dominated possession, with a significant advantage, but Juventus threatened on the break, especially with Pierre Kalulu surging forward and Vlahović combining, managing a dozen attempts compared to the home side's 27.

Strong Opening for Away Side

They had started well, certainly. Within three minutes, they thought they were in front, the forward a little unlucky to be called for holding the Brazilian defender. Three minutes later, Raúl Asencio had to slide in front of Vlahović when Kalulu broke free on the right. Then three minutes after that, Weston McKennie's effort was pushed wide.

Next, from the defender's drive, was a more impressive save. Fifteen minutes had passed. However, quickly the visitors' impetus had faded as well. Madrid took control. Largely it was rather mechanical, however, and the top chances fell to the French midfielder, who wouldn’t be the coach's preferred forward. Two were headed over, a third one took a deflection; another headed opportunity was missed by the center-back.

Guler Shines

The best moments came from Arda Güler. The Turk, 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.

There was not much sign of the French superstar yet, but when he finally emerged it was the closest Madrid came to scoring. Initially his attempt was denied by Michele Di Gregorio, who would produce several stops. Next some lovely fast footwork saw him turn Andrea Cambiaso twice until he tumbled to the ground and set up his teammate to fire over.

Second-Half Drama

Militão threw himself to halt the runner at the outset of the second period, and then came the regulation save from the keeper when unexpectedly Vlahović was away. The “assist” had been remarkable, with Lloyd Kelly cutting out a ball inside his own area and the ball deflecting from the inside of his boot directly through the center to past the center circle. Sprinting after it, ample room opening, the striker outpaced Militão, using his strength and heading into the box where the keeper made the stop.

Next the usual pattern happened, the stop compensated for by the score that follows it. A burst from the Brazilian winger created it, working himself enough room amid multiple defenders to release a low, left-footed shot which struck the post. Positioned in that forward position was the goalscorer. With the deadlock broken, Madrid should have finished it, Mbappé stopped by the keeper and Fede Valverde seeing his half-volley blocked by the defender. Then the Juventus goalkeeper made a superb quick saves from Mbappé and Brahim Díaz.

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 opened up and at the mercy of Loïs Openda momentarily alone in the penalty box. Finally in the dying moments the Madrid keeper flew in to stop Thuram, his work done. For the visitors, there was no route to a comeback, Bellingham’s first of the season the final of the match.

“It’s a great feeling, a while now since I’ve scored, a lot of time out and dreaming of that moment, back in the Champions League and against a big team. To get the decisive goal, here at home, it’s unbelievable. I was at ease, really good. To play well was crucial and to score the winning goal benefits the team a lot.”

Regarding his performance, he added: “I didn’t think last year was a disaster, with 15 goals, fourteen setups, but I know the perception was that it was worse. But I was a contributor to that, how we didn’t play as well 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 shape, how we intend to play…. You have to learn from it.”