Bellingham’s decisive finish keeps Real Madrid perfect in Champions League battle against Juventus

Jude Bellingham’s second-half strike proved the difference as Real Madrid edged Juventus 1-0 on Wednesday night, keeping their flawless start to the Champions League alive.

The 15-time European champions, led by Xabi Alonso, dominated much of the game at the Santiago Bernabéu but couldn’t add to Bellingham’s close-range effort despite a wave of second-half chances.

For Juventus, the result extended a miserable run — now seven matches without a win in all competitions — despite a gritty defensive display and several dangerous counterattacks.

The victory served as the perfect tune-up for Madrid’s upcoming El Clásico showdown with Barcelona, and kept them among a small elite group — including defending champions Paris Saint-Germain — to have won all three of their opening group fixtures.

“I’m very happy with the win,” said Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, marking his 300th appearance for the club. “It was a tough game with chances at both ends, and we had to sweat for it, but beating a team like Juve is always special. They’re not a small side — when they sit deep and break quickly, it’s never easy.”

The opening 45 minutes were cagey, with both teams feeling each other out. Gradually, Alonso’s side began to assert control. Brahim Díaz set up Kylian Mbappé for Madrid’s best early chance, only for Juve goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio to tip the Frenchman’s shot wide. Moments later, Éder Militão narrowly missed the target after a neat cutback from Mbappé.

After the break, the tempo lifted. Courtois denied Dusan Vlahović with a fine save, and soon after, Vinícius Júnior created the breakthrough moment. The Brazilian danced through a crowd of defenders and curled a shot off the post — only for Bellingham to pounce first on the rebound and slot home in the 57th minute.

It was the England international’s first goal of the season, a welcome reward after recovering from summer shoulder surgery that had slowed his start to the campaign.

Mbappé, who came into the match on an 11-game scoring streak for club and country, looked eager to extend it but saw several efforts saved by Di Gregorio, who also pulled off a brilliant double stop to deny both Mbappé and Díaz.

Juventus came close to equalising late on, with Lois Openda’s shot blocked heroically by Raúl Asencio, while Courtois produced another big save in stoppage time to repel Filip Kostić’s powerful drive.

The clean sheet left Juventus manager Igor Tudor still searching for his first Champions League win this term.

“We’ve started this group stage in the best way possible,” said Aurélien Tchouaméni after the match. “Juventus are strong defensively, and it’s never easy to break them down, but we stayed patient and got our reward.”