Club World Cup 2025: Vinicius stars as Real Madrid beat Salzburg 3-0 to book round of 16 spot
Real Madrid booked their place in the round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 with a confident 3-0 win over Red Bull Salzburg in their final Group H match. The result means Madrid will now face Juventus in Miami next Tuesday.
Vinicius and Valverde lead from the front
Real Madrid went ahead in the 40th minute when Vinicius Junior latched onto a pinpoint long ball from Jude Bellingham, dribbled past Joane Gadou and calmly finished past Salzburg keeper Christian Zawieschitzky. Moments later, Arda Guler's pass found Vinicius again, and the Brazilian set up Federico Valverde with a clever backheel for a sharp second goal right before halftime.
⚽ @FedeeValverde 🫸🫷 @ViniJr ⚽ pic.twitter.com/rb8XCZitsr
Even without Kylian Mbappe, who missed another game due to stomach illness, Madrid had enough firepower. Vinicius looked sharp throughout and made a big impact on the left side.
RB Salzburg fall short despite equal shot count
Although Salzburg matched Madrid in shot count with 12 attempts each, they couldn't match their finishing. Baidoo came close in the second half, but Bellingham was alert to block his goal-bound shot with Thibaut Courtois beaten. Salzburg's hopes of qualifying ended after Al Hilal defeated Pachuca 2-0 in the group's other match.
Gonzalo Garcia seals the result, Madrid march on
Madrid rounded off the win in the 84th minute when Gonzalo Garcia finished a tidy move to score the third. It was the team's second straight multi-goal win after drawing with Al Hilal in their opener.
GOALzalo. pic.twitter.com/DqnkPQ7z9D
Next up for Real Madrid is a high-profile clash with Juventus in Miami. Manchester City, Group H winners, will face Al Hilal in Orlando.
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