Real Madrid Secure Spot in Club World Cup Knockout Stage with Ease
Real Madrid had no trouble securing their place in the next round of the Club World Cup.
Los Merengues defeated Red Bull Salzburg 3-0, with a standout performance from Vini Jr., who scored one goal and provided an assist.
With this result, the Spanish side finished top of Group H with seven points. In the round of 16, Real will face Juventus next Tuesday (01) in Miami. The Austrian team finished third in the group with four points.
Vini Shines Before the Break
The match began with Real Madrid dominating possession. The Spanish side controlled the ball more, but initially struggled to penetrate the penalty box.
On the first real chance, Vini Jr. received the ball inside the box and found himself one-on-one with Zawieschitzky, who made a brilliant save.
As time went on, Salzburg started to gain momentum and tried to create attacking chances, but ended up getting lured in. The Austrian team left open spaces, and Real took full advantage.
On a counterattack, Bellingham delivered a great pass to Vini Jr., who outmaneuvered two defenders and fired a powerful shot into the corner of the net to open the scoring.
There was still time for the Brazilian to make another impact in injury time. Vini made a sharp run into the box and assisted Valverde, who scored Real's second goal.
Salzburg, needing just a draw to advance, fought back and tried to make a greater impact, creating several chances. Daghim received the ball on the edge of the box and fired a shot, but Courtois made a fine save. Later, after a poor clearance from Real Madrid, Daghim had another chance but sent the ball over the bar. Baidoo also came close to scoring. After a corner kick, the Austrian player controlled the ball and took a shot, but Bellingham appeared to block it inside the penalty area.
Once again, open space appeared, and Real extended their lead. Following a mistake by the Austrians, Gonzalo García picked up the ball, went one-on-one with Zawieschitzky, and chipped the ball into the net to score the third goal and seal the final result.
