Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters
It was an impressive display from Xabi Alonso's Madrid side and adding to a positive day, Kylian Mbappe made his return from illness, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for his first appearance of the tournament.
The first half was a finely-balanced contest with Igor Tudor's Juventus starting brightly before Real ended it on top.
There was an early chance for Juve's Randal Kolo Muani after clever work from Kenan Yildiz to put him through on goal, but the French forward opted for an attempted chip of Thibaut Courtois and his shot floated over the bar.
The impressive Yildiz then burst through the middle and unleashed a fierce effort which deflected off Aurelien Tchouameni and flew wide.
The Turin team, beaten 5-2 by Manchester City in their final group game, were moving the ball around with confidence but Real grew into the contest and they went close when Jude Bellingham forced a save out of Michele Di Gregorio from close range.
Federico Valverde then tested the Juve goalkeeper from long range and Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped a low ball across the face of the goal as Madrid finished the half strongly.
The interval did nothing to alter the momentum of the game with Real creating several chances -- Bellingham laid off to Valverde, whose sweetly-struck shot was just wide and then Bellingham himself brought another good save out of Di Gregorio with a shot from the edge of the box.
Dean Huijsen's rocketing drive was parried out by the busy goalkeeper as Real laid seige to the Juventus goal and it was no surprise when the breakthrough finally arrived.
Alexander-Arnold floated in a cross from the right which Gonzalo met with a perfectly-timed header for his third goal in four games in the tournament.
Juve responded with Portuguese winger Francisco Conceicao bringing Courtois into action from a low shot the Belgian shot-stopper did well to get down to.
But Real wanted to finish the contest off and Valverde tested Di Gregorio's reactions with an overhead kick before Alonso decided to introduce Mbappe to the delight of the 62,149 crowd.
Juve's belief remained however and Nicolas Gonzalez flashed a 25-yard drive just wide.
At the other end, Real's Turkish midfielder Arda Guler saw his crisp shot kept out by the feet of Di Gregorio, but the one goal was enough.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Pogacar must 'battle' for Tour de France title says director
The 21-day race starts Saturday in Lille with the first week across the north and west of the nation laced with a varied series of challenges. "In the old days we would want to get the first week out of the way. This time it's the opposite," Prudhomme told AFP in Lille. "Anyone thinking it's flat or easy is mistaken, and the Mur de Bretagne (stage 7) is built like an all-in one-day race." Prudhomme congratulated the course designer, former rider Thierry Gouvenou. "He's magnified everything and he's laced the route with ever-changing challenges from the narrow, winding roads to places likely to be windy," he said. Defending champion 26-year-old Slovenian Pogacar won six stages on the 2024 edition and ran away with the overall victory. There are strong arguments to say the Team UAE rider is even stronger in 2025. "That's why the first week is perhaps be the most important first week in years. It's an opportunity for Pogacar's rivals to put him on the back foot," Prudhomme said. The race is a massive broadcasting success each July with fans tuning in around the world, and the race would be less fun with a runaway leader the organisers explained. "We'd like someone to give him a run for his money, Jonas Vingegaard or Remco Evenepoel or anybody else in fact," said Prudhomme. "We are hoping for suspense and we'd be delighted with an all out scrap." 'Starts in second week' After starts in Florence, Bilbao and Copenhagen, cycling's most prestigious race returns to its roots with an old school itinerary starting in northern French city Lille and favouring climbers. The first week is set up nicely for any number of aggressive, hotly contested battles for the overall leader's yellow jersey, to be played out in front of roadside crowds expected to tip into the hundreds of thousands. Belgian star Evenepoel will be well supported as the first week takes in the north coast at Dunkirk and a time-trial at Caen, scenes of heavy fighting in the Second World War which ended 80 years ago. Evenepoel said the first week would be rough-and-ready but the race would only get really serious on the climbs. "It's important to stay out of trouble in the first 10 days," said Evenepoel on the risk of chaos in the scramble for early honours. "We'll see what we can do if an opportunity comes up for a win. On those kind of stages you need a plan B and a plan C. "But everybody knows it starts in the second week, when we get to the Pyrenees," added the 25-year-old Belgian. The volcanoes of the Puy de Dome present the first mountains as late as stage 10, with two more colossal climb days in the Pyrenees before the blockbuster final week in the Alps. © 2025 AFP
France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
Matildas' defender Carpenter leaves Lyon for Chelsea
Carpenter, who has agreed a four-year contract, will be reunited with head coach Sonia Bompastor, who took charge of Lyon in 2021 before guiding Chelsea to a treble-winning season in her first campaign last year. Carpenter moved to Lyon in 2020 and in the five years since has won two Champions Leagues, four French championships and the French Cup. "I'm really excited about this new challenge, it's a new adventure," she told the Chelsea website. "It feels like the right move for me, and I can't wait to get started and give my all for this club. "I'm very proud to join such a big club, one of the biggest in women's football. Chelsea have enjoyed so much success in England, and I'm delighted to now be a part of it." Carpenter, who hails from Cowra, a small town in New South Wales, began her senior career at the age of 15 and became the youngest woman ever to play football at the Olympics at Rio 2016, aged 16. She went on to play at the subsequent Games in Tokyo and Paris. Aged just 18, Carpenter secured a move to the US with Portland Thorns before moving on to Lyon. Last month Carpenter married her Lyon teammate Danielle Van de Donk but the Dutch midfielder, 33, will now be a rival in the Women's Super League having joined London City Lionesses - owned like Lyon by the American businesswoman Michele Kang - on a free transfer at the end of June.
France 24
9 hours ago
- France 24
76 Ghanaians rescued from trafficking scam in Nigeria
01:59 02/07/2025 South Africa's coalition government in crisis 02/07/2025 Benin dreams of becoming cinema hub 02/07/2025 Gaza: Al Shifa hospital halts dialysis as offensive escalates 02/07/2025 US administration to pause arms supplies to Ukraine 02/07/2025 Macron urges Ukraine ceasefire in first Putin talks since 2022 02/07/2025 French PM Bayrou survives latest no-confidence motion 02/07/2025 Dalai Lama pledges he won't be the final leader of Tibetan Buddhism 02/07/2025 France protects vulnerable populations amid extreme heat 02/07/2025 US President seeking truce ahead of Netanyahu visit
