If this were to be the final occurrence, they would at least savor it. The last match of the Champions League group stage at the home stadium of the club with the most wins in this tournament bid farewell to the old format and paid tribute to Real Madrid’s remarkable ability for thrilling, last-minute comebacks. It was also a highly entertaining match, with Jude Bellingham leading the way in a 4-2 win against Napoli, ultimately sealed by an unlikely hero.
Nico Paz, the 19-year-old son of former Argentina footballer Pablo Paz, scored a fantastic goal to give Madrid a 3-2 lead with only five minutes left. Joselu then scored a fourth goal, sealing the victory. Nico apologized to the fans for missing previous opportunities, but they quickly forgave him. After all, they had a great time celebrating the win and singing their classic chant: “How could I not love you, if you keep winning the European Cup?”.
It was an enjoyable experience, and the Paz family were not the only ones representing football in this event. The Santiago Bernabéu was lit up with the presence of the Simeone and Zidane families, reminiscent of past moments on the biggest stage. However, this tournament is now in a new era and a new generation is making its mark. Gio, the son of Diego Simeone and a striker for Napoli, scored the first goal out of six. Théo, son of Zinedine Zidane, was on the bench for Madrid, where his father had won this competition three consecutive times, instead of being on the field where his father had one more victory. Nonetheless, he still had a prime spot to witness the action.
He witnessed Napoli taking the lead and Rodrygo, with his quick footwork, scoring an equalizer. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was also making skillful flicks, while Brahim Díaz spun past his opponents. He saw Bellingham, who was wearing Zidane’s boots and shirt, and the Santiago Bernabéu crowd is starting to believe he could become the best. Bellingham scored Madrid’s second goal and assisted in their fourth. He also saw his former B-side teammate, Paz, score his first goal at the senior level and he is confident it won’t be his last.
The Bellingham team’s scoring was unexpected and now seems unavoidable. This time, it was a diving header that had him celebrating in front of the stands with open arms. This goal occurred in the 22nd minute and was already the third of the game. As it turned out, there were still more goals to come in the rest of the evening’s excitement.
In the match, Napoli scored the first goal by a great delivery from Kvaratskhelia that found Di Lorenzo at the far post. Napoli’s captain then passed it to Simeone in the six-yard box. Lunin initially made a remarkable save, but Simeone, who got a Champions League tattoo against his parents’ wishes when he was 13, just managed to get it past the keeper. Madrid quickly equalized within 10 seconds after the game resumed, thanks to Brahim’s impressive spin move that led to Rodrygo’s shot hitting the top corner.
The situation was looking promising, the intensity increased when Bellingham executed a skillful move through the legs of an opponent, and even more so when he connected with David Alaba’s exceptional curved pass with a diving header to score the second goal – his 15th goal in 16 matches for Madrid, including every game he has played in the Champions League.
Kvaratskhelia and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa executed a smooth one-two play, resulting in a blocked shot. This allowed Rodrygo to make a run, with Brahim eventually pulling wide. Piotr Zielinski then attempted a shot that narrowly missed over the bar on the other side of the field. The atmosphere shifted when Bellingham injured his ankle, but he was able to return to the game in the second half despite limping off the field at the end of the first half. However, Napoli quickly equalized with a well-placed pass from Di Lorenzo that led to Anguissa’s confident finish.
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The Napoli team was gaining control and had a potential advantage with one more player on the field. Antonio Rüdiger was not penalized for a reckless move, and for a brief moment, they believed they were in the lead. Victor Osimhen, who came on at halftime for Simeone, scored a clean goal from an incredible pass by Matteo Politano, but it was ruled offside. As the game entered into the final minutes, Madrid started to gain momentum, largely due to Bellingham’s strong performance.
Rüdiger had an opportunity from a cross by an English player, but Alex Meret made an impressive save. Alaba then attempted two overhead kicks in quick succession, with the first one going over the goal. Bellingham received a pass from Dani Carvajal and forced another save from Meret. The rebound fell to Joselu, who had previously missed a similar kick, but he somehow missed the target again. And then, Paz scored a spectacular goal, showcasing the same level of skill as the earlier attempts. With just enough time remaining, Joselu also scored, with an assist from Bellingham, capping off a fantastic evening.
Source: theguardian.com
