Bellingham spoils Union's Champions League debut with late goal
Union Berlin were heading for a 0-0 draw in their Champions League debut away to Real Madrid when Jude Bellingham stepped up to secure all three points for the Spanish favorites.
| Urs Fischer. | Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Real Madrid dominated possession from start to finish, but struggled to create chances in a first half that saw Joselu come closest to changing the scoreline with a header that went wide.
Union rarely threatened the Real Madrid goal, with Robin Gosens' shot into the side-netting the closest they came to scoring early in the second half.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, created several good chances in the second half and hit the woodwork twice, first through Rodrygo and then through Joselu, whose effort was tipped onto the post by Frederik Rønnow.
As time wore on, a draw looked increasingly likely. But then, deep into stoppage time, Jude Bellingham stepped up to secure the win for Real Madrid and cause heartbreak for the hard-working away side. Fede Valverde's shot from the edge of the box deflected off two Union players, and with Rønnow on the ground after diving for the initial attempt, the ball landed at the feet of Bellingham, who scored the winner.
