In Miami, Real Madrid even had difficulty due to the prominence of the Juventus goalkeeper, but prevailed and won 1-0 in the round of 16 of the World Cup
Real Madrid are guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup after overcoming a wall of goals from Juventus. Although goalkeeper Di Gregorio was the standout performer in Tuesday’s match (1/7), the Spanish team beat the Italians 1-0 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, United States.
The victory in the round of 16 of the World Cup was secured by Gonzalo García. Amid the Merengue bombardment of the Old Lady’s goal, the Spanish striker received a beautiful cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 8th minute of the second half and headed the ball powerfully to shake the net and overcome Di Gregorio’s good performance.
The 27-year-old Italian goalkeeper was the star of the match and made an incredible 10 saves to prevent a larger victory for the dominant Real Madrid. Vini Jr. and company’s team shot more than three times than their opponents (21 against six shots) and still had five great chances, while Juventus had just one.
With the classification, Real Madrid awaits the winner of the duel between Borussia Dortmund and Monterrey. The Germans and Mexicans will face each other this Tuesday night (1/7), at 10 pm, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta. The quarterfinals between Real Madrid and the winner of Dortmund and Monterrey will be played on Saturday (5/7), at 5 pm, at the MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey.
The game
First half Juventus had the first good opportunity in the game. In the sixth minute, Kolo Muani exchanged passes with Yildi and was unmarked, but shot over Thibaut Courtois’ goal. The Merengue team only threatened Juventus in the 29th minute. Jude Bellingham received a cross from Arda Guler and, off balance, shot from inside the six-yard box, but was stopped by Di Gregorio. In the 45th minute, Real Madrid once again threatened with a shot from outside the area by Federico Valverde, but the first half ended with the score unchanged.
Real Madrid scores After piling up three real chances to score in the first five minutes of the second half, Real Madrid opened the scoring in the eighth minute, with Gonzalo García, who scored with a header after a cross from Alexander-Arnold on the right. Juventus reacted immediately with Fransisco Conceição, who shot from outside the area and found the bottom right corner of Courtois’s goal, who palmed it away.
Real Madrid continued to attack after the first goal and almost extended their lead in the 15th minute, thanks to the skill of Valverde, who attempted a bicycle kick inside the area and forced Di Gregorio to make a good save. Juventus tried to tie the match, but were unable to get close to the opposing goal for most of the second half, and the game remained 1-0 to Real Madrid, who confirmed their favoritism and advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
