Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid just don’t know how to lose right now. The Spanish giants battled their way to another tough win, recording a narrow 1–0 victory over Juventus at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday night. It wasn’t the prettiest performance, but it was exactly what champions do: dig deep and get it done, just as they did in their narrow 1-nil victory against Getafe in La Liga.
Real’s win means they’ve now gone five games unbeaten across all competitions, staying firmly on top of their Champions League group. However, the victory was not an easy one, as Juventus gave them a proper fight, just as Softfootball predicted in the pre-match report. Juventus, on the other hand, looked sharp early on. They started fast, with Thibaut Courtois being called into action several times, first to deny Weston McKennie, then pulling off another strong save from Federico Gatti inside the opening quarter-hour.
But gradually, Madrid began to settle. The tempo slowed, and the crowd could sense the control shifting. Even so, Juve’s defence stood firm, and their goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio was having one of those nights saving everything from Aurélien Tchouaméni’s drive to Kylian Mbappé’s curling effort.
The breakthrough, when it finally came, arrived in the 56th minute, and it was scrappy but vital. Vinícius Júnior danced past two defenders, smashed one off the post, and Jude Bellingham pounced on the rebound to tap home his first goal since June. The Bernabéu erupted with celebration as their star boy got the party started.
From then on, it was Real’s game to lose. Mbappé and Brahim Díaz both saw chances kept out by Di Gregorio, with Gatti clearing one off the line in pure desperation. In stoppage time, Filip Kostić nearly spoilt it with a thunderbolt, but Courtois, who was making his 300th appearance for the Los Blancos, made a stunning two-handed save to keep the sheet clean. Real Madrid posted a video of the Belgian goalie appreciating the fans for his recent milestone in a post made via the team’s official X account.
Watch the video below:
It ended 1–0 — another statement win for Los Blancos, their fourth in their last five meetings with Juve. With Mbappé on fire (11 straight games with a goal!) and the defence recording a fifth clean sheet this season, Real go into the weekend’s El Clásico against FC Barcelona buzzing.
For Juventus, though, it’s a different story. Winless in seven, out of the qualification zone on the table, and looking increasingly lost, it’s panic mode in Turin right now for Juventus and Igor Tudor.
