Real Madrid secured their place in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) with a narrow 1-0 victory over Juventus, extending their unbeaten streak at the tournament to 14 matches.
Under Xabi Alonso, Madrid’s performance is picking up momentum with consecutive wins, though they encountered a formidable challenge in Juventus.
This sentiment was apparent early on, as Madrid found themselves struggling in the opening 10 minutes. They were nearly a goal down when Randal Kolo Muani broke through on goal; however, his audacious chip over Thibaut Courtois landed harmlessly on the roof of the net.
Juve came close to scoring moments later when a long-range strike from Kenan Yıldız took a wicked deflection off Aurelien Tchouameni, drifting perilously wide of the target.
It took Madrid half an hour to create a genuine opportunity, and when they did, they were very unlucky not to go ahead. Jude Bellingham combined brilliantly, making a penetrating run behind the Juventus defence, only to see his shot parried by Michele Di Gregorio and then cleared off the line by Daniele Rugani.
Di Gregorio’s efforts were put to the test right before half-time, as he produced a stunning save to deny Federico Valverde, diving to deflect the Uruguayan’s 30-yard effort around the post.
Valverde was quick to threaten again as the second half commenced, seizing on a loose ball in the area only to curl his shot just wide.
This proved to be only a brief respite for Juventus, who soon found themselves trailing. Trent Alexander-Arnold took time to acclimatise as a Galactico but delivered a superb cross for Gonzalo Garcia, who headed home the vital opening goal.
Madrid’s joy was compounded shortly after with the return of Kylian Mbappé, who made his long-awaited first appearance in the CWC after recovering from acute gastroenteritis. His immediate impact was evident as he set up Arda Güler, whose low shot was thwarted by Di Gregorio’s legs.
Despite Di Gregorio’s valiant efforts to keep Juventus in the contest, they ultimately failed to find the equaliser and exited at the Round of 16 on their CWC debut.
Real Madrid advance to the quarter-finals, gaining momentum at the perfect time with an impressive seven-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.
You can find more about the match here.
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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