With a 1-0 victory over Juventus on Wednesday, record 15-time champion Real Madrid continued to be 100% successful in the Champions League with a goal from Juve.
After England international Bellingham scored from close range in the second half, Xabi Alonso’s Spanish giants mostly outplayed their visitors but were unable to increase their lead.
At the Santiago Bernabeu, Italian giants Juventus, who are currently without a win in seven games across all competitions, battled hard but were unable to find an equalizer.
Madrid, who is one of five teams to have won all three of their opening league matches, including Paris Saint-Germain, was a perfect preparation for Sunday’s Clasico game against rivals Barcelona in La Liga.
After making his 300th appearance for the club, Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stated, “I’m very happy with the win. It was a very tough game with chances at both ends and we had to sweat for it.”
It’s not easy when they defend with 11 men and want to go on the counter because they are Juve, not a small side.
In a tentative opening period, both teams made an effort to master each other, but eventually Alonso’s team took control.
Kylian Mbappe, a top-notch French superstar, received the ball from Brahim Diaz, who was unable to stop Michele Di Gregorio to slam his shot.
The striker whistled a superb dribble from the right into the box before cutting the ball back to Eder Militao on the edge of the box, who had just drained a perfect dribble.
In the first half, either team came as close as either side could, but after the break, the game resumed.
At the end of a quick break downfield, Courtois made a good save with his leg to deny Dusan Vlahovic.
After Vinicius Junior’s excellent work, Madrid took the lead, but they haven’t scored in the Champions League this season.
The Brazilian made a few yards for a shot that he curled against the post despite being surrounded by defenders in the area.
Bellingham, who was attacking midfield, showed his poacher’s instinct to react quickly and scored the rebound after 57 minutes.
After a slow start to the campaign following shoulder surgery in the summer to treat a long-term issue, the 22-year-old scored his first goal of the season in his seventh game.
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The “Best way possible”
Mbappe, who had already scored in 11 of his previous matches for the club and nation, slipped as he shot, and Madrid sought a second goal with a low strike saved by Di Gregorio.
With a chance to get a draw, the Italian stopper made a stunning double save from Mbappe and Diaz.
As the clock struck zero, Raul Asencio slid in to block Lois Openda’s shot.
In an effort to extend his goalscoring streak, Mbappe needed one more effort from distance, but Di Gregorio was on par with him.
Igor Tudor’s Juve have lost all of their first three Champions League matches since Courtois was called back in stoppage time to stop Filip Kostic’s long-range strike.
Aurelien Tchouameni, a midfielder for Madrid, said, “We’ve kicked off this group phase in the best way possible.”
We faced a strong defense, which is not easy for us, but we were confident we would score.
Source: Channels TV
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