
Mbappe edging closer to full fitness as Real Madrid reach Club World Cup last eight
Mbappe made his long-awaited debut in the tournament as a second-half substitute following a bout of gastroenteritis that sidelined him during the group stage.
Alonso expressed optimism that the France striker would be sharper in time for Saturday's quarter-final clash against Borussia Dortmund or Monterrey.
"I think day by day he will get better, and by the time of the quarters he should be in much better shape," Alonso told a press conference.
'We'll keep checking in with him every day.'
In Mbappe's absence, Gonzalo Garcia deputised brilliantly, scoring the only goal on Tuesday for his third of the tournament.
Midfielder Federico Valverde was instrumental in Madrid's hard-fought win, creating countless chances and earning praise from Alonso, who hailed the Uruguayan as a 'complete player' with leadership qualities that lift the entire team.
Vinicius Jr.'s positioning was another focal point, with Alonso explaining tactical tweaks that shifted the Brazilian back to his favoured left flank in the second half.
'We saw that giving him width allowed him to attack better from outside in,' Alonso said.
Defensively, Alonso credited his players' collective discipline for limiting Juventus's chances, highlighting Real's continued improvement at the back with only two goals conceded across four matches in the tournament so far.

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