On a beautiful Champions League night at the Bernabéu, Real Madrid continued its perfect start
to the Champions League group stage, and added to Juventus’ current miserable form, with a 1-0
win on home soil.
Jude Bellingham put in a great performance on his first start in this years Champions League
competition, snapping up a rebound off a Vinicius shot to score the lone goal on the night for
Real Madrid. After spending much of the beginning of the season sidelined with a shoulder
injury, Madrid fans were elated to see Bellingham’s trademark celebration after he opened his
goalscoring account for the season.
Arda Guler was voted Man of the Match for his role in controlling the midfield during the match.
Not only was the 20 year old running the show, but he was a huge part of Real Madrid’s
excellence on set pieces during the match. Guler took the majority of the corners for Real
Madrid, and despite not scoring from these chances, it seemed that each corner put into the box
led to a goal scoring opportunity for Los Blancos. It seems the young Turkish international has
locked down a starting spot in Xabi Alonso’s midfield setup, which is a good development for a
player that struggled for playing time under Ancelotti a year ago.
Juventus may not have played its best game but had two clear cut chances in the second half that
could have changed the outcome of the match. Right after the start of the second half, Dusan
Vlahovic found himself on the break after a Juventus clear, but was denied by the hounding
defense of Eder Militao and the left foot of Thibaut Courtois. The more glaring missed
opportunity came in the 85th minute of the match, the substitute Lucas Openda found himself
free in the box after a beautiful bit of interplay between himself and Jonathan David. Instead of
taking on the shot first time, Openda took a touch and allowed Raul Asencio to come back and
make a vital last ditch tackle. One touch of the ball was the difference between salvaging a point
in a hostile environment and heading back to Turin sitting twenty fifth in the Champions League
table.
Michele Di Gregorio was the man of the match for Juventus, and without him, Real Madrid may
well have scored four or five goals during the match. Di Gregorio made eight saves on the night,
including a huge double save on Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz on the rebound, and was only
beaten on a rebound off the post for the only goal of the night. The goalkeeper kept Juventus in
the match the entire time and was let down by poor finishing from his attackers.
For Juventus, this result continues a run of bad form for the club that stretches back to early
September. Ever since a thrilling win against Inter Milan on September 13, Juventus hasn’t
recorded a win in its last seven matches now, including coming into this match off a tough 2-0
loss to Como. With the disappointing results mounting, there is a lot of pressure at the moment
on Juventus manager Igor Tudor. If things continue in the same direction in Turin, changes are
said to be on the way for the club both in the roster and coaching groups.
Next up for Real Madrid, they will face Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu for a Clasico that
will decide the top spot in La Liga early in the season. For Juventus, they will travel to Rome to
face Lazio in what the club is hoping can be a bounce back match from recent poor results.