Real Madrid delivered their best performance yet in the Club World Cup to seal the top position in their group.
Vinicius Junior showed flashes of his familiar brilliance after some time, scoring one goal and assisting another. Under coach Xabi Alonso, Madrid showcased the kind of football they are capable of—organized, aggressive, and effective. With this expected victory, they confirmed their place at the top of Group H.
In the Group H clash, Real Madrid defeated Red Bull Salzburg 3-0. Vinicius and Federico Valverde scored late in the first half, and Gonzalo Garcia extended the lead towards the end of the match.
Though they didn’t score, Jude Bellingham and Aurélien Tchouaméni put in outstanding performances throughout. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Arda Güler, and Fran García also impressed.
With this win, Xabi Alonso’s team tops the group with 7 points from 3 matches. Their next challenge in the knockout round will be Juventus.
On Friday morning (Bangladesh time) in Philadelphia, Real Madrid controlled the game from the start, putting Salzburg under pressure with well-organized football. Their first good chance came in the 20th minute when Bellingham sent a perfect pass to Vinicius inside the box, but the Brazilian winger failed to beat the keeper despite being one-on-one.
About ten minutes later, Gonzalo missed a golden opportunity.
Finally, in the 40th minute, Vinicius found the breakthrough. Receiving another brilliant pass from Bellingham deep inside their own half, he sprinted past two defenders and fired a precise shot from outside the box to score.
Vinicius played a key role again in the second goal. After a clever touch from Güler, he dangerously penetrated the box and instead of shooting, delivered a delicate back-heel pass to Valverde, who calmly finished it off.
In the second half, Salzburg regrouped and tried to attack, but to no avail. Real Madrid also missed some chances. The 84th minute saw Gonzalo Garcia seal the emphatic win. Salzburg’s defense failed to clear Alexander-Arnold’s cross properly, allowing Garcia to burst into the box and finish with a clinical right-footed shot past the keeper.
Real Madrid will face Juventus in the Round of 16 next Tuesday.
On the same day, Al-Hilal secured the runner-up spot in Group H with a 2-0 win over Pachuca. They will meet Manchester City in the knockout stage.
