Vinícius Shines as Real Madrid Defeat Salzburg to Reach Club World Cup Round of 16
Vinícius Júnior scored one goal and assisted another to lead Real Madrid to a commanding 3-0 victory over Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg on Friday, securing top spot in Group H and a place in the FIFA Club World Cup Round of 16.
The Spanish giants ended the group stage with seven points, two ahead of Al Hilal, who beat Pachuca 2-0 in the group’s other match. Salzburg and Pachuca were eliminated after finishing third and fourth, respectively.
Real Madrid will face Juventus—second in Group G—on Tuesday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, while Al Hilal will meet Manchester City in Orlando on the same day.
Under pouring rain in Philadelphia, Real Madrid, coached by Xabi Alonso, dominated the match. Salzburg created few chances, while goalkeeper Christian Zawiszetski made several key saves early on, including a close-range stop to deny Vinícius.
The Brazilian forward missed further opportunities, and teammate Gonzalo García squandered a golden chance after receiving a low cross from Vinícius around the 30-minute mark.
The breakthrough came in the 40th minute when Jude Bellingham threaded a precise pass to Vinícius, who dribbled past two defenders and fired a low shot into the net from the edge of the box.
In stoppage time of the first half, Vinícius played a backheel pass to Federico Valverde, who slotted in Real’s second goal from close range.
