June 27, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid moved into the FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 with a clinical 3–0 win over RB Salzburg on Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Playing at Lincoln Financial Field, the La Liga outfit controlled proceedings from the outset, finishing top of Group H with maximum points.
Salzburg, who needed a result to advance, were unable to match the tempo or technical precision of their opponents.
The breakthrough came in the 27th minute, when Jude Bellingham sent a long diagonal ball from deep inside his half to release Vinícius Júnior.
The Brazilian forward raced in behind the defence and fired a left-footed effort past Alexander Schlager to open the scoring.
It was a goal that showed Madrid’s confidence in transition and their patience in possession.
Just before the interval, Vinícius Júnior played a central role again. His low pass into the box found Fede Valverde, who placed his shot beyond the Salzburg keeper to double the lead.
Madrid entered half-time two goals ahead, having dominated possession and limited Salzburg’s attacking options to brief moments of pressure.
Salzburg came out with more urgency in the second half and created a handful of half-chances, but Thibaut Courtois remained composed and alert in goal.
Madrid then caught their opponents on the counter once more. Substitute Gonzalo García finished off a swift move to score his second goal in three tournament appearances, sealing a comfortable result for Xabi Alonso’s side.
With the group phase complete, Madrid now prepare to face Juventus in the next round.
Alonso’s men will take confidence from three straight wins, while Salzburg bow out of the tournament after falling short against the two strongest teams in the group.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
