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It may not have been a classic encounter, the chanting from the Santiago Bernabéu was familiar. Having been absent for some time, Jude Bellingham finally stood before the south end with his arms outstretched, basking in the fans' rendition of his anthem. Following a lengthy layoff and questions about his position, he scored his opening strike of the campaign, eventually delivering a narrow win for Real Madrid over a Juventus side that put up a fight. “We had to sweat for it,” commented the Belgian goalkeeper.

Decisive Stops Secure the Victory

Courtois knew better than anyone, having to save a one-on-one from the Serbian striker and produce another crucial save from the French midfielder in the dying moments. This result puts Madrid on a strong tally and the opposition team outside the qualifying spots. After a game with more shots than fluid football, the visiting coach may consider a promising opening, with those opportunities representing a wasted moment around the 85-minute mark; the team's reality though presents worrying statistics.

“An Italian team in trouble is twice as dangerous,” Xabi Alonso had warned beforehand.

The Turin-based club, which were without a victory since September, did cause Madrid issues at the start and once more near the end. Madrid dominated possession, with a significant advantage, but Juventus were dangerous on the counter, especially with Pierre Kalulu surging forward and the striker combining, firing off 12 shots compared to the hosts' 27.

Strong Opening for Away Side

They had started well, without a doubt. Within three minutes, they believed they were in front, the forward somewhat unlucky to be called for holding the Brazilian defender. Shortly after, Raúl Asencio had to slide in front of him when Kalulu broke free on the right. Then soon after, Weston McKennie's shot was deflected past the post.

Next, from Federico Gatti'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. Mostly it was all a bit functional, however, and the top chances fell to the French midfielder, who is not the coach's preferred forward. Two were headed over, a third one took a deflection; an additional headed opportunity was missed by the center-back.

Turkish Talent Impresses

The best moments came from Arda Güler. The Turk, whose football was the nearest thing there was to smooth attacking, was always involved. His clever control and spin saw him deliver to the far post for Bellingham.

Little was seen of the French superstar early on, but when he finally emerged it was the closest Madrid got to a goal. First his attempt was stopped by the Juventus keeper, who would produce eight saves. Next some exquisite dribbling saw him evade the full-back twice until he went down to the turf and set up Militão to blast over.

Late Tension

Militão threw himself to stop Kalulu at the start of the second half, and then came the regulation save from the keeper when unexpectedly Vlahović was through. The “assist” had been remarkable, with the defender cutting out a ball inside his own penalty box and the ball bouncing from the inside of his boot directly through the center to past the halfway line. Racing after it, huge space appearing, Vlahović outpaced Militão, using his strength and heading into the box where the keeper saved.

Then what tends to happen occurred, the stop compensated for by the score that comes after it. A flash from Vinícius Júnior set up it, creating enough space amid four men to unleash a driven effort which hit the post. Positioned in that forward position was Bellingham. The breakthrough found, Madrid ought to have sealed the game, the Frenchman stopped by the keeper and Fede Valverde seeing his half-volley deflected by Gatti. Then the Juventus goalkeeper made a superb quick saves from the forward and the attacking midfielder.

There were more scares: as the match was slipping away, the defender had to make a stunning sliding block as Madrid were opened up and at the risk of Loïs Openda unmarked in the penalty box. Then in the dying moments Courtois dived to stop Thuram, his work complete. For Juve, there was no route to a comeback, the opening goal of the season the final of the encounter.

“I'm overjoyed, a long time now since I’ve found the net, a lot of time out and dreaming of that moment, back in the Champions League and against a major opponent. To get the decisive goal, in our stadium, it’s unbelievable. I was at ease, really good. To play well was important and to net the match-winner helps the team a lot.”

Regarding his form, he continued: “I didn’t think last year was a failure, still 15 goals, 14 assists, but I know the perception was that it was poorer. But I was a contributor to that, how we underperformed last year, there were nonetheless good moments but not the standard I aim to play at, not the caliber like the debut season. Now I’ve had my operation, a different coach, he’s got that system, how we want to play…. You have to learn from it.”