Real Madrid has made it to the quarterfinals.
Real Madrid won 1-0 with Gonzalo Garcia's winning goal in the 9th minute of the second half in the round of 16 of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup against Juventus (Italy) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on the 2nd (Korea time). Real Madrid, which passed Group H, which includes Al Hilal, Salzburg and Pachuca, with two wins and one draw and first place in the group, met Italy's prestigious Juventus in the round of 16, but won and succeeded in advancing to the quarterfinals. Juventus reached the round of 16 as second place in Group G behind Manchester City, but packed up after losing to Real Madrid.
Real Madrid overwhelmed its opponents with 22 shots on the day, but was rarely able to open the goal due to the opponent's goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio's good defense. The fixer was 21-year-old Gonzalo Garcia, who is considered one of the best strikers in the tournament. In the 9th minute of the second half, Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was acquired as a free agent this summer, pushed a cross to the header. Gonzalo performed a ceremony pointing to the emblem.
Gonzalo, who got a chance from Kylian Mbappe's injury, is in his best form. He participates in every game until the round of 16, and all of them are remarkable in scoring offensive points. Gonzalo, who scored in the first leg against al-Hilal, scored an assist in the second leg against Pachuca. Gonzalo, who also scored in the final group match against Salzburg, scored the winning goal in the match against Juventus to lead Real Madrid to the quarterfinals. Gonzalo even earned the pleasant nickname 'Raul's successor' for his performance in this tournament.
Real Madrid pulled out a 3-4-3 card on the day. It was the epitome that new coach Xavi Alonso enjoyed at Leverkusen. Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham were placed on the left and right sides of Gonzalo. Arda Güller and Federico Valverde stood in the midfield, while Francisco Garcia and Arnold sat on the left and right. The three-back was made up of Antonio Rudiger-Orelien Chouameni-Din's lower line. Thibaut Courtois defended the goal. Juventus also faced 3-6-1. Randal Kolo Moani was at the forefront, followed by Francis Concei-Sang and Kenal Yildiz.
Real Madrid pushed Juventus throughout the game. He overwhelmed Juventus with six shots, shooting a total of 21 on the day. The number of effective shots was 11 to 2, and the market share reached 58 to 42. The corner kick was also 11 to 4. However, he was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper's good defense and rarely scored, and he laughed happily with Gonzalo's shot. Real Madrid, which was struggling with Juventus' counterattack in the beginning, led the atmosphere with a sense of defense stability and build-up centered on the lower line. Valverde's powerful shots enabled him to gain momentum.
For Real Madrid, Mbappe, who had been waiting so long, stepped on the ground in the 22nd minute of the second half. Mbappe missed all three group games due to acute gastroenteritis, but made his return on the day. Mbappe showed his unique fast speed several times, signaling that he was in normal condition. Real Madrid finished the game stably by replacing Luka Modric, who left the team after this tournament.
Juventus aimed for Real Madrid's back space with Colomuani and Consei Sang, but failed to create a significant opportunity except in the early part of the first half. In the second half, Philipp Kostic and Tun Kofmeijers were put in to score an equalizer, but it was not enough to cross Real Madrid's wall.
Real Madrid's Valverde received the highest rating of 8.5 points from both teams by foot mob with a lot of activity and sophisticated passes at the waist. Valverde had six shots, a 93% pass success rate and five key passes.
Real Madrid will play Dortmund-Monterrey in the quarterfinals against the winner of the round of 16.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
