Real Madrid achieved a valuable 1-0 victory over Juventus in the match that brought the two teams together on Wednesday evening, as part of the third round of the Champions League, at the “Santiago Bernabeu” stadium.
Real Madrid star, the Englishman “Jude Bellingham”, managed to score the only goal of the match in the 57th minute.
With this victory, Real Madrid raised its score to 9 points after 3 rounds, to occupy fifth place in the standings, while Juventus’ score remained frozen at two points in 25th place.
Real Madrid gained a great moral boost with this valuable victory, a few days before the highly anticipated match against Barcelona, next Sunday, in the summit of the tenth round of the Spanish League.
A strong start for the visitors spoiled by “Courtois”: The first signs of danger for the visitors appeared in the third minute, when “Dusan Vlahovic” was on his way to an almost complete breakaway, but the referee stopped the attack, considering a foul against “Eder Militao” before the player started.
In the eighth minute, “Raul Asensio” played a crucial defensive role with Real Madrid, as he cut off a dangerous cross from “Kalulu” that was heading towards “Vlahovic” inside the penalty area.
Just one minute later, “McKennie” fired a powerful shot from outside the penalty area that almost opened the scoring, but “Courtois” made his first save in a spectacular fashion to prevent a certain goal.
The Belgian goalkeeper returned in the 14th minute to brilliantly save a creeping shot from “Gatti” from the edge of the area.
In return, Real Madrid began to respond, and the 15th minute witnessed a dangerous attempt from “Vinicius” who received a cross from “Valverde” before the Juventus defense cleared it.
Then came the most dangerous attempts of Real Madrid in the 19th minute with a header from “Tchouameni” that went over the crossbar after a corner kick taken by “Arda Guler”.
The Madrid attempts continued, as “Mbappe” fired in the 22nd minute from outside the area, but “Gatti” intervened again.
The Moroccan “Ibrahim Diaz”, Real Madrid star, shone in the 25th minute with a powerful shot that “Di Gregorio” cleared with difficulty.
The royal opportunities followed after that, as “Tchouameni” came close again in the 26th minute to shaking the net after a surprising ball inside the area deviated slightly next to the post.
“Guler” sent a wonderful ball inside the Juventus penalty area that “Ibrahim Diaz” did not direct well with his head, before “Cambiaso” intervened in the 34th minute to spoil a certain attempt from “Valverde”.
In the 35th minute, “Militao” rose for a new corner kick taken by “Guler”, but his header went over the goal again, before the Turk himself tried to shoot in the 36th minute with a shot that the Italian goalkeeper easily caught.
The 37th minute witnessed a Madrid demand for a penalty kick after “Ibrahim Diaz” fell inside the area after a clash with “Kylie”, but the referee did not award anything.
Real Madrid responded quickly in the 39th minute when “Mbappe” fired a dangerous left shot that “Di Gregorio” brilliantly saved, before “Militao” came close again to scoring in the 42nd minute after a distinguished technical assist from “Mbappe”.
“Vinicius” concluded the opportunities of the first half in the 44th minute with a shot that was not fully powered in front of the pressure of “Gatti”, so the first half of the match ended in a goalless draw despite the clear control of the royal team.
Follow-up by “Bellingham” saves the home team: The second half started with a dangerous attempt in the 46th minute, when “Militao” saved his team’s goal with a decisive slide in front of “Kalulu” inside the area, then “Yildiz” responded in the 47th minute with a distant shot that went over the goal.
As the back-and-forth continued, “Vinicius” tried again to penetrate in the 52nd minute, but “Kylie” prevented him at the right moment, before “Bellingham” wasted a header in the 53rd minute that was not directed accurately on the goal.
In the 54th minute, Real Madrid players demanded a penalty kick after a ball hit “Gatti” and then “Turam” inside the area, but the referee ordered to continue playing, so Juventus responded in the 55th minute with a shot from “Cambiaso” that “Courtois” caught firmly.
Juventus came close to surprising the home team in the 56th minute through a dangerous pass from “Yildiz” that did not find the appropriate follow-up from “Vlahovic”.
The 57th minute came with the first white goal, after “Vinicius” started inside the area and fired a powerful shot that hit the post, to bounce in front of “Jude Bellingham” who followed it confidently inside the net, giving Real Madrid the lead.
After the goal, the royal team continued its pressure, so “Mbappe” fired a ball in the 64th minute that the goalkeeper cleared, then “Gatti” intervened in the 67th minute to clear a shot from “Valverde”.
“Michele Di Gregorio”, the Juventus goalkeeper, stood as an impenetrable barrier in the 70th minute with a stunning double save in front of the successive attempts of “Mbappe” and “Ibrahim Diaz”.
The royal team continued to control the match until the last minutes, and “Thibaut Courtois” shone in saving a rocket shot from “Kostic” to deprive the visitors of snatching an equalizing goal in injury time, and secure the three points for Real Madrid.
source: 961 today
