Real Madrid cruised to the FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 with a comfortable 3–0 victory over RB Salzburg.
With the top spot in Group H on the line, Real Madrid and Salzburg faced off at Lincoln Financial Field. Much like their previous Champions League meeting in which Los Blancos secured a 5–1 victory over the Austrian outfit, the Spanish giants found plenty of success in the first half.
Xabi Alonso’s men controlled the tempo of the game and dominated possession, seemingly biding their time before finally orchestrating the game’s opening goal. From deep in his own half, Jude Bellingham played a lovely ball into the stride of Vinícius Júnior, who finished off his streaking run with a left-footed strike into the back of the net.
Just eight minutes after Vinícius Júnior got on the scoresheet, the Brazilian made another run into the box and delivered a brilliant backheel assist to set up Fede Valverde’s goal on the brink of halftime. Real Madrid went down the tunnel with a commanding 2–0 lead.
Watch the FIFA Club World Cup live and on-demand here
The Spanish giants took their foot of the gas in the second half, giving Salzburg multiple opportunities to get back into the game, but Thibaut Courtois stood tall. Then, in the blink of an eye, Real Madrid were off to the races in transition and Gonzalo García buried his second goal in three starts under Alonso.
The 3–0 victory lifted Real Madrid to the top of Group H and Alonso’s side, setting up a clash with Juventus in the Club World Cup round of 16.
Check out the player ratings from the match below.
RB Salzburg Player Ratings vs. Real Madrid (4-4-2)
Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. RB Salzburg (3-5-2)
Player of the Match: Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
We may earn a commission if you buy something via a link in this article.
READ THE LATEST CLUB WORLD CUP NEWS, PREVIEWS AND PLAYER RATINGS
This article was originally published on www.si.com as RB Salzburg 0–3 Real Madrid: Player Ratings As Vinicius Junior Sends Madrid to Club World Cup Knockout Stage.
