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It may not have been a classic encounter, the roar from the Madrid's home stadium was unmistakable. After a long wait, Jude Bellingham once again found himself before the south end with his arms wide open, listening to the fans' singing of Hey Jude. After a shoulder injury and uncertainty about his position, he netted his opening strike of the campaign, ultimately delivering a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid over a Italian opponent that made them work hard. “We had to sweat for it,” commented Thibaut Courtois.

Decisive Stops Secure the Win

Courtois knew better than anyone, having to save a one-on-one from Dušan Vlahović and make another crucial stop from the French midfielder in the dying moments. The win leaves Madrid on nine points and the opposition team below the cut. After a match with plenty of attempts but little elegance, the visiting coach may consider a promising opening, with those saves representing a missed chance around the closing stages; the team's reality though makes for concerning reading.

“A side from Italy in difficulty is doubly threatening,” Xabi Alonso had warned beforehand.

Juventus, which were without a victory since last month, did cause Madrid issues at the start and again near the conclusion. Madrid commanded the ball, with a significant advantage, but Juventus threatened on the counter, particularly with the French defender surging forward and the striker linking up, firing off a dozen attempts compared to the hosts' 27.

Strong Opening for Visitors

They had started well, without a doubt. Within three minutes, they thought they were in front, Vlahović a little unfortunate to be penalized for holding the Brazilian defender. Three minutes later, the Madrid defender had to intervene in front of Vlahović when the wing-back dashed clear on the right flank. Then three minutes after that, the American midfielder's shot was pushed past the post.

Next, from Federico Gatti's drive, was a more impressive stop. A quarter of an hour had gone. However, soon the visitors' impetus had faded as well. Madrid assumed command. Largely it was all a bit functional, however, and the three best opportunities fell to Aurélien Tchouaméni, who wouldn’t be the coach's preferred forward. A couple were off target, a third took a deflection; another chance with the head was wasted by the center-back.

Guler Shines

Most creative play were provided by Arda Güler. The Turk, whose play was the nearest thing there was to fluidity, was constantly in the action. His clever control and spin saw him clip to the back post for Bellingham.

There was not much sign of Kylian Mbappé yet, but when he finally emerged it was the closest Madrid got to scoring. First his attempt was denied by Michele Di Gregorio, who would produce eight saves. Next some lovely fast footwork saw him evade the full-back twice until he tumbled to the turf and laid off to Militão to fire over.

Second-Half Drama

The Brazilian threw himself to stop Kalulu at the outset of the second half, and then came the customary Courtois rescue when suddenly Vlahović was through. The “inadvertent pass” had been remarkable, with Lloyd Kelly cutting out a pass inside his own penalty box and the ball bouncing from the inside of his foot directly through the middle to beyond the halfway line. Racing after it, ample room appearing, Vlahović outpaced Militão, using his strength and advancing into the box where the keeper saved.

Then what tends to happen happened, the save made good by the score that follows it. A burst from the Brazilian winger set up it, working himself enough space amid four men to release a low, left-footed shot which struck the upright. Positioned in that forward position was the goalscorer. The breakthrough found, Madrid ought to have sealed the game, Mbappé stopped by the keeper and the Uruguayan seeing his volley blocked by Gatti. Then Di Gregorio made a superb quick saves from the forward and Brahim Díaz.

It was not the only one: as the match was drawing to a close, Raúl Asencio had to make a stunning sliding block as Madrid were opened up and at the risk of the substitute momentarily alone in the penalty box. Then in the final seconds Courtois dived to deny Thuram, his work complete. For the visitors, there was no route to a comeback, the opening goal of the season the last of the match.

“It’s a great feeling, a while now since I’ve found the net, a period out and dreaming of that instant, returning in the Champions League and against a major opponent. To get the decisive goal, here at home, it’s unbelievable. I felt comfortable, really good. To perform was important and to net the match-winner helps the team greatly.”

As for his form, he added: “It wasn't that last year was a failure, with 15 goals, fourteen setups, but I understand the general feeling was that it was poorer. But I was a contributor to that, how we didn’t play as well last year, there were still good moments but not the level I want 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 intend to play…. You have to learn from it.”