Real Madrid have booked a place in the round of 16 of the ongoing 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States of America (USA) following a convincing 3-0 victory over Salzburg of Austria on Thursday.
The match, played at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, saw Real Madrid’s superior play and strategy earn them a commanding win.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the win means Real Madrid finished the group with seven points and will face Italian giant, Juventus ,which finished 2nd in their group behind Manchester City.
Jude Bellingham made a wide split pass to Vinicius Junior, who beat two of his markers before finding the back of the net in the 40th minute of play to give Real Madrid the lead.
Petar Ratkov failed to even the scores for Salzburg on the stroke of half time after failing to capitalise on a Real Madrid defensive mishap with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois going to the ground quickly to deal with the effort.
Federico Valverde doubled Real Madrid’s lead with a stunning strike seconds into the final third minute of injury time.
He capitalised on the intense action that unfolded after the referee had initially given advantage following a contentious incident involving Vinicius Junior, who had appealed for a penalty.
Adam Daghim called Courtois into action five minutes into restart after a fine team play by Salzburg but the Belgian was in the right place to deal with the effort.
Adam Daghim squandered a golden opportunity to pull one back for Salzburg two minutes after the restart, as the Austrian side appeared to have digested their half-time team talk better than Real Madrid, sparking hopes of a comeback.
Gonzalo Garcia put the game beyond the Austrian giants with six minutes left on the clock to earn Real Madrid a commanding 3-0 win, making the Spanish giants one of the favourites to win the tournament.
Vinícius Júnior had been under scrutiny for his recent form, struggling to find the back of the net or provide assists in the United States.
With only two goals in his last 14 appearances for Real Madrid, the Brazilian winger’s production had been lacking.
However, against Salzburg on Thursday, Vinícius Júnior finally broke his slump, delivering a standout performance.
In just 67 minutes on the pitch, he contributed to two of Real Madrid’s three goals, topped the match in chance creation and completed the most dribbles, showcasing his skill and impact on the game.
