Latest news with #ChampionsLeague-winning
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Alonso's tactical shift sees Real Madrid top Group H with comfortable win over Salzburg
NEW Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso introduced a bold tactical change as his side defeated RB Salzburg 3-0 on Thursday to finish as Group H winners and set up a mouth-watering last 16 tie against Juventus at the Club World Cup. Alonso, who arrived at Real with a reputation for innovative tactics following his trophy-laden stint at Bayer Leverkusen, fielded a five-man defence for the first time since taking over. The system, featuring three centre backs and aggressive wing backs, marked a significant departure from the traditional 4-3-3 formation used by predecessors Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane over the past decade. The change evoked memories of Vicente del Bosque's 2000 Champions League-winning side, the last Real Madrid team to adopt such a structure. 'We're taking it step-by-step,' Vinicius Jr told DAZN. 'Of course, we can't fully adapt to the coach's ideas so quickly, it takes time. But today was a good game for that, especially in the first half.' Alonso had utilised a four-man defence in Real's earlier group matches, a 1-1 draw with Al Hilal and a 3-1 victory over Pachuca. On Thursday Aurelien Tchouameni was deployed between centre backs Antonio Ruediger and Dean Huijsen, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia operating as the wing backs. Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler played as creative midfielders with Federico Valverde in a holding role, while Vinicius Jr and Gonzalo Garcia led the attack. The tactical shift paid dividends as Real Madrid dominated proceedings. Bellingham and Guler consistently found Vinicius in dangerous positions and the Brazilian opened the scoring in the 40th minute, weaving past two defenders before firing into the bottom-right corner. He then assisted on Valverde's goal in first-half added time with a deft back-heeled pass. Forward Gonzalo Garcia sealed the win in the 84th minute, lobbing the Salzburg keeper to cap a swift counter-attack. The performance was a marked improvement from Real's earlier group matches, where they appeared unconvincing at times. 'The first half was serious. We played patiently, knowing that we couldn't win in 10 minutes and that we had to be mature to find our opportunity,' Alonso told reporters. 'We started the second half well and, with the score at 3-0, I'm happy with the lads.' Real Madrid next face Italy's Juventus in the round of 16 on Tuesday, when Alonso's tactical approach will come under greater scrutiny. He is expected to have forward Kylian Mbappe available after the Frenchman missed the group stage due to illness. 'Let's wait and see, I don't want to get ahead of myself. We thought Kylian would be ready for this match, but it wasn't to be,' Alonso said. 'Now we have four days. I want to be optimistic, but also cautious.'
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Alonso's tactical shift sees Real Madrid top Group H with comfortable win over Salzburg
PHILADELPHIA: New Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso introduced a bold tactical change as his side defeated RB Salzburg 3-0 on Thursday to finish as Group H winners and set up a mouth-watering last 16 tie against Juventus at the Club World Cup. Alonso, who arrived at Real with a reputation for innovative tactics following his trophy-laden stint at Bayer Leverkusen, fielded a five-man defence for the first time since taking over. The system, featuring three centre backs and aggressive wing backs, marked a significant departure from the traditional 4-3-3 formation used by predecessors Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane over the past decade. The change evoked memories of Vicente del Bosque's 2000 Champions League-winning side, the last Real Madrid team to adopt such a structure. "We're taking it step-by-step," Vinicius Jr told DAZN. "Of course, we can't fully adapt to the coach's ideas so quickly, it takes time. But today was a good game for that, especially in the first half." Alonso had utilised a four-man defence in Real's earlier group matches, a 1-1 draw with Al Hilal and a 3-1 victory over Pachuca. On Thursday Aurelien Tchouameni was deployed between centre backs Antonio Ruediger and Dean Huijsen, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia operating as the wing backs. Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler played as creative midfielders with Federico Valverde in a holding role, while Vinicius Jr and Gonzalo Garcia led the attack. The tactical shift paid dividends as Real Madrid dominated proceedings. Bellingham and Guler consistently found Vinicius in dangerous positions and the Brazilian opened the scoring in the 40th minute, weaving past two defenders before firing into the bottom-right corner. He then assisted on Valverde's goal in first-half added time with a deft back-heeled pass. Forward Gonzalo Garcia sealed the win in the 84th minute, lobbing the Salzburg keeper to cap a swift counter-attack. The performance was a marked improvement from Real's earlier group matches, where they appeared unconvincing at times. "The first half was serious. We played patiently, knowing that we couldn't win in 10 minutes and that we had to be mature to find our opportunity," Alonso told reporters. "We started the second half well and, with the score at 3-0, I'm happy with the lads." Real Madrid next face Italy's Juventus in the round of 16 on Tuesday, when Alonso's tactical approach will come under greater scrutiny. He is expected to have forward Kylian Mbappe available after the Frenchman missed the group stage due to illness. "Let's wait and see, I don't want to get ahead of myself. We thought Kylian would be ready for this match, but it wasn't to be," Alonso said. "Now we have four days. I want to be optimistic, but also cautious."
Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Alonso's tactical shift sees Real Madrid top Group H with comfortable win over Salzburg
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group H - RB Salzburg v Real Madrid - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - June 26, 2025 Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso with RB Salzburg coach Thomas Letsch before the match REUTERS/Lee Smith PHILADELPHIA - New Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso introduced a bold tactical change as his side defeated RB Salzburg 3-0 on Thursday to finish as Group H winners and set up a mouth-watering last 16 tie against Juventus at the Club World Cup. Alonso, who arrived at Real with a reputation for innovative tactics following his trophy-laden stint at Bayer Leverkusen, fielded a five-man defence for the first time since taking over. The system, featuring three centre backs and aggressive wing backs, marked a significant departure from the traditional 4-3-3 formation used by predecessors Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane over the past decade. The change evoked memories of Vicente del Bosque's 2000 Champions League-winning side, the last Real Madrid team to adopt such a structure. "We're taking it step-by-step," Vinicius Jr told DAZN. "Of course, we can't fully adapt to the coach's ideas so quickly, it takes time. But today was a good game for that, especially in the first half." Alonso had utilised a four-man defence in Real's earlier group matches, a 1-1 draw with Al Hilal and a 3-1 victory over Pachuca. On Thursday Aurelien Tchouameni was deployed between centre backs Antonio Ruediger and Dean Huijsen, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia operating as the wing backs. Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler played as creative midfielders with Federico Valverde in a holding role, while Vinicius Jr and Gonzalo Garcia led the attack. The tactical shift paid dividends as Real Madrid dominated proceedings. Bellingham and Guler consistently found Vinicius in dangerous positions and the Brazilian opened the scoring in the 40th minute, weaving past two defenders before firing into the bottom-right corner. He then assisted on Valverde's goal in first-half added time with a deft back-heeled pass. Forward Gonzalo Garcia sealed the win in the 84th minute, lobbing the Salzburg keeper to cap a swift counter-attack. The performance was a marked improvement from Real's earlier group matches, where they appeared unconvincing at times. "The first half was serious. We played patiently, knowing that we couldn't win in 10 minutes and that we had to be mature to find our opportunity," Alonso told reporters. "We started the second half well and, with the score at 3-0, I'm happy with the lads." Real Madrid next face Italy's Juventus in the round of 16 on Tuesday, when Alonso's tactical approach will come under greater scrutiny. He is expected to have forward Kylian Mbappe available after the Frenchman missed the group stage due to illness. "Let's wait and see, I don't want to get ahead of myself. We thought Kylian would be ready for this match, but it wasn't to be," Alonso said. "Now we have four days. I want to be optimistic, but also cautious." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Alonso's tactical shift sees Real Madrid top Group H with comfortable win over Salzburg
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group H - RB Salzburg v Real Madrid - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - June 26, 2025 Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso with RB Salzburg coach Thomas Letsch before the match REUTERS/Lee Smith PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) -New Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso introduced a bold tactical change as his side defeated RB Salzburg 3-0 on Thursday to finish as Group H winners and set up a mouth-watering last 16 tie against Juventus at the Club World Cup. Alonso, who arrived at Real with a reputation for innovative tactics following his trophy-laden stint at Bayer Leverkusen, fielded a five-man defence for the first time since taking over. The system, featuring three centre backs and aggressive wing backs, marked a significant departure from the traditional 4-3-3 formation used by predecessors Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane over the past decade. The change evoked memories of Vicente del Bosque's 2000 Champions League-winning side, the last Real Madrid team to adopt such a structure. "We're taking it step-by-step," Vinicius Jr told DAZN. "Of course, we can't fully adapt to the coach's ideas so quickly, it takes time. But today was a good game for that, especially in the first half." Alonso had utilised a four-man defence in Real's earlier group matches, a 1-1 draw with Al Hilal and a 3-1 victory over Pachuca. On Thursday Aurelien Tchouameni was deployed between centre backs Antonio Ruediger and Dean Huijsen, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia operating as the wing backs. Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler played as creative midfielders with Federico Valverde in a holding role, while Vinicius Jr and Gonzalo Garcia led the attack. The tactical shift paid dividends as Real Madrid dominated proceedings. Bellingham and Guler consistently found Vinicius in dangerous positions and the Brazilian opened the scoring in the 40th minute, weaving past two defenders before firing into the bottom-right corner. He then assisted on Valverde's goal in first-half added time with a deft back-heeled pass. Forward Gonzalo Garcia sealed the win in the 84th minute, lobbing the Salzburg keeper to cap a swift counter-attack. The performance was a marked improvement from Real's earlier group matches, where they appeared unconvincing at times. "The first half was serious. We played patiently, knowing that we couldn't win in 10 minutes and that we had to be mature to find our opportunity," Alonso told reporters. "We started the second half well and, with the score at 3-0, I'm happy with the lads." Real Madrid next face Italy's Juventus in the round of 16 on Tuesday, when Alonso's tactical approach will come under greater scrutiny. He is expected to have forward Kylian Mbappe available after the Frenchman missed the group stage due to illness. "Let's wait and see, I don't want to get ahead of myself. We thought Kylian would be ready for this match, but it wasn't to be," Alonso said. "Now we have four days. I want to be optimistic, but also cautious." (Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Who is Love Island bombshell Giorgio and how is he related to Alessia Russo?
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HALF-ITALIAN hunk Giorgio Russo is yet another bombshell contestant on Love Island 2025 — and he arrived alongside three more. The Sun exclusively revealed that the ensemble of sexy singletons would be dropping into the famous villa — here's everything we know about Giorgio. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Giorgio Russo is a new Love Island star Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 4 He was part of a quartet of bombshells to drop into the famous villa Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 4 His famous footballing sister is 'really excited' Gio is on Love Island Credit: Instagram Who is Giorgio Russo? Giorgio Russo — who goes by Gio — is an account manager from Maidstone, who joined Love Island 2025 as a bombshell. His career has taken a back seat of late as he spent several months traveling around Southeast Asia, before settling in Sydney, Australia — where he now lives. At 30 years old, Gio is among the older islanders on the show this series, bringing a more mature presence to the famous villa. He boasts an impressive 30,000 followers on Instagram, as of June 2024, which is more than many new contestants who arrive on the island Gio said he is looking for a girl with strong family values who enjoys having a good time. He explained: 'I like girls with a good personality, family-oriented and fun to be around. Someone that doesn't take life too seriously.' Famous footballing sister Gio is the older brother of footballer Alessia Russo, who plays as a forward for Arsenal and England. She is the current holder of the FWA Women's Footballer of the Year award. Chatting with ITV before entering the villa, Gio revealed what his Champions League-winning sister thinks about him signing up for Love Island. He shared: "She's really excited, she watches every year and reckons I can do well, so she's excited to see how I get on." Watch moment 4 bombshells arrive in Love Island villa as Helena makes u-turn Gio made it clear that being interested in sports — especially football — is a plus, given his family's strong sporting ties. He said: "My sister plays pro football, so being interested in sport — they don't have to know football or understand it, but if they can show some sort of interest — because it is such a prominent thing in our family. "It would be hard if they hated it. 4 Gio shared what his Arsenal star sister Alessia thinks about him joining Love Island Credit: Instagram "Other green flags are having a nice family — I'm sick of being the seventh wheel in my own family!" Following his sister's Champion's League success with Arsenal, Gio posted: "Turns out being related to a Champions League winner doesn't make me any better at football… but it does make me insanely proud. "Congratulations @alessia, you make me prouder and prouder to be your big brother everyday." Just like his Lioness sibling, Gio is very much into fitness and training. Yet, his villa entrance may well mean he will miss Alessia's stint in the Women's Euro 2025 this summer, which kicks off on July 2.
