August 2, 2023. Before the game starts, the stadium is awash with white as Real Madrid fans storm the arena. You can almost physically feel the energy coming from the crowd. The players enter the stadium, and you can see the shock and excitement on the faces of the crowd. The coin is flipped, and it’s Heads, so Madrid wins it and chooses to let Juventus start the kickoff.
And we’re off, Madrid presses immediately and wins the ball back right after the kickoff as the crowd screams their name. Juventus, however, strikes back immediately after the miss; it’s an easy tap-in for #18 Moise Kean as he celebrates by doing the griddy.
Vini Jr. tries to respond with a fast break but is stopped down the wing, and the ref calls no foul. The ref calls a yellow card on #3 Bremer in the 3rd minute, and the resulting free-kick taken by #8 Toni Kroos is headed away. Courtois stops an excellent breakaway by Moise Kean.
Vini Jr. has an excellent take in the 6th minute, but goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny sends it away. A fast break from Madrid’s #20 Francisco Jose Garcia as he crosses up the defender, but the cross is headed away in the 8th minute. Real Madrid seems to be struggling in the midfield, and another one of their plays falls through to the Juventus goalkeeper.
Another excellent play by Vini Jr as he cuts to the right with the defender on his heels, but it is shut down by Juventus keeper Wojciech Szczesny in the 16th minute. Another shot taken by Madrid in the 18th minute, but it is just wide.
Juventus scores again, slicing through the defense like butter, and #22 Timothy Weah taps it in, making the scoresheet 2-0. Another shot is just barely off target from #14 Joselu in the 22nd minute. A foul is called in the 23rd minute, leading to a free-kick for Madrid. Toni Kroos steps up to strike the ball, but it leads to nothing yet again. It seems Real Madrid is struggling to find their rhythm.
The referee calls a cooling break after 27 minutes of play due to the high temperatures. Will Real Madrid be able to come back from this break with a game plan and turn the game around, or will Juventus continue to tear apart the favored club?
Back from the break, the shot from Madrid’s #5 Jude Bellingham is beautifully blocked by Juventus’s own Wojciech Szczesny. Juventus’s fast break is shut down by a masterclass in defense by Madrid. Vini Jr takes a shot in the 36th minute, but it is just over the bar.
Real Madrid finally strikes back with a chip over the keeper by #7 Vini Jr in the 38th minute, assisted by #8 Toni Kroos. Another excellent shot from Madrid, but an even better save from keeper Wojciech Szczesny in the 41st minute. Shot after shot is being shut down by keeper Wojciech Szczesny; he is not letting Real Madrid have it easy tonight, as he saves yet another shot in the 44th minute.
After the half, Madrid is on the ball; a comeback seems to be in the works. A great save by Courtois after the free-kick attempt from Juventus. Another miss from Real Madrid in the 48th minute, but they are on the hunt for the equalizer. Juventus tries to run away with it, but Carvajal will have none of that and shuts down their breakaway play.
In the 53rd minute, #5 Jude Bellingham takes another shot at the goal, but it is again off target. A yellow card is handed to #4 Federico Gatti in the 54th minute as he shoves Vinicius away during a breakaway for the goal. They set up the free-kick as once again Toni Kroos looks to set things up, but it is shut down by the Juventus wall.
Real Madrid makes an amazing play off of the missed pass from Juventus, but #14 Joselu cannot capitalize. Substitutions are made in the 63rd minute for Real Madrid. Madrid sets another shot off the mark in the 64th minute as #15 Federico Valverde hits it just over the bar. Substitutions are made for Juventus in the 66th minute.
Another excellent play from Madrid as they seek to set up another goal, but Wojciech Szczesny makes a masterclass save in the 70th minute, denying the 1v1 opportunity. The free-kick from Juventus after the foul is shut down by the Madrid wall in the 71st minute. Substitutions are made for Juventus in the 71st minute. Rodrygo cuts through the defense on his run, but the ball is kicked out from under him by the Juventus defense. Substitutions for Real Madrid are made in the 77th minute.
The announcer declares a sellout crowd at Camping World Stadium with a whopping 63,503 people, setting a new record. In the final minutes of the game, Real Madrid is fighting for hope, but as the ending draws near, you can see the fatigue and despair on the players’ faces.
A yellow card is issued to #28 Enzo Barrenechea from Juventus after a big foul near the box in the 89th minute. Another yellow card is issued to Juventus for a mid-air tackle by #14 Arkadiusz Milik. Juventus makes a huge play at the end of the game, and Courtois makes a brilliant save, but #9 Dusan Vlahovic finishes it splendidly, putting this game to a close.
