Miami Gardens (US), July 2: Breakout tournament star Gonzalo García scored his third goal of the Club World Cup to power Real Madrid past Juventus 1-0 in the round of 16 and into the quarterfinals.
García has started all four of Real Madrid’s matches because of a gastrointestinal illness to star striker Kylian Mbappé. The 21-year-old broke a second-half tie with a header in the 54th minute on Tuesday, giving him a goal contribution in every match of the tournament.
García subbed out in the 68th as Mbappé checked in, making his Club World Cup debut after he was briefly hospitalized with the illness. He missed Real Madrid’s three group stage matches.
García’s header Tuesday came after Real Madrid had forced Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio into consecutive spectacular saves in the opening minutes of the second half. It was an incredible performance from the Italian goalie, whose 10 saves kept the match close.
It was a scoreless and evenly contested first half, the first time either team had been held without a goal in the opening half of a match in the tournament. Both sides had chances, including Randal Kolo Muani’s effort that went over the bar seven minutes in and Federico Valverde’s shot that was denied by Di Gregorio before the end of the half.
But Real Madrid overwhelmed Juventus in the second half, finishing with 11 shots on target to 2.
Key moment
There were loud cheers from the 62,149 fans at Hard Rock Stadium when Mbappé came into the game. Many were wearing his jersey and yelling “Mbappé! Mbappé!”
Takeaways
Real Madrid will face the winner of Tuesday night’s match between Borussia Dortmund and Monterrey, on Saturday at MetLife Stadium for a spot in the semifinals.
What they said
“I know this is an incredible opportunity in my life, so I’m doing what I can to be able to take advantage of that.” — García
“What changes when Mbappé gets on the pitch? Well, it’s like when you drive a car. Real Madrid drives at 200 kilometers, but with Mbappé, they speed up even more.” — Juventus coach Igor Tudor through an interpreter. (AP)
