PHILADELPHIA - Vinicius Jr delivered a dazzling performance with a goal and an assist as Real Madrid eased past RB Salzburg 3-0 in rainy Philadelphia on Thursday, clinching top spot in Group H and booking a place in the round of 16 at the Club World Cup.
The Spanish giants, finishing the group stage with seven points, advanced ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, who beat Pachuca 2-0 in the day’s other fixture. With the result, Salzburg (4 points) and winless Pachuca were eliminated. Real Madrid now face Juventus, runners-up of Group G, on Tuesday at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, while Al-Hilal meet Manchester City in Orlando on Monday.
Real, under the guidance of Xabi Alonso, dominated possession throughout the match, rarely troubled by a sluggish Salzburg side. The Austrian club’s teenage goalkeeper, Christian Zawieschitzky, impressed early on, producing a point-blank save to deny Vinicius in the opening minutes and keeping Salzburg in contention through the first half.
[Türkiye’s ancient sites to fuel heritage tourism surge](https://www.nation.com.pk/28-Jun-2025/t-rkiye-s-ancient-sites-to-fuel-heritage-tourism-surge)
However, the Brazilian winger broke through in the 40th minute after Jude Bellingham played a beautifully weighted pass behind Salzburg’s defense. Vinicius weaved through two defenders before firing a clinical shot from the edge of the area into the bottom corner.
Moments later, Vinicius was instrumental again, picking up a loose ball in the box and delivering a cheeky backheel assist to Federico Valverde, who slotted home Real’s second in first-half stoppage time.Despite continuing to dominate in the second half, Real Madrid were wasteful in front of goal, squandering several clear chances. The third goal finally came in the 84th minute, when Gonzalo Garcia chipped over the onrushing Zawieschitzky to cap off a swift counter-attack.
Speaking after the match, Vinicius said: “I am very happy with the goal and the assist, but now comes the most important part, the knockouts. We’re ready and looking forward to it.” Real Madrid are expected to be further bolstered by the return of star forward Kylian Mbappe, who missed the group stage due to illness. Head coach Alonso confirmed that the French international had resumed training on Wednesday and was rested against Salzburg to ensure full fitness for the knockout phase.
[Rome, Venice and 19 other Italian cities on red alert for heat this weekend](https://www.nation.com.pk/28-Jun-2025/rome-venice-and-19-other-italian-cities-on-red-alert-for-heat-this-weekend)
REsults
Man City 5-2 JuventusReal Madrid 3-0 RB SalzburgAl Ain 2-1 Wydad AC
Al-Hilal 2-0 Pachuca
Tags: