Juve edged by Real Madrid in CWC Round of 16 | OneFootball

Juventus exited the FIFA Club World Cup in the round of 16 with heads held high after a narrow 1–0 defeat by Real Madrid at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Tuesday. A Gonzalo Garcia header early in the second half proved decisive in a contest where the Bianconeri showed quality and character, especially in the first half, before Los Blancos applied more pressure after the break.

FIRST HALF: JUVE DANGEROUS AS REAL STRUGGLE

The opening exchanges belonged entirely to Juventus. After just seven minutes, Randal Kolo Muani had a golden opportunity to open the scoring when played in by an excellent Kenan Yildiz, but his lob cleared Thibaut Courtois’ bar. Shortly afterwards, Yildiz tested the Madrid defence again with a deflected right-footed strike from the edge of the box, before Andrea Cambiaso’s dangerous cross on 27 minutes forced Aurelien Tchouameni into a risky intervention that nearly resulted in an own goal.

Real Madrid struggled to contain Juve’s pace and aggression, but began to grow into the match late in the half. On 30 minutes, Jude Bellingham was denied by a superb Michele Di Gregorio, who pulled off another outstanding save to keep out Federico Valverde in stoppage time. The sides went in level at the break, with Juventus regretting missed chances.

SECOND HALF: GARCIA WINS IT

Real emerged more aggressive after the interval and began to raise the tempo. After warnings from Valverde and Trent Alexander-Arnold, the breakthrough came on 54 minutes: a loose defensive header by Lloyd Kelly was punished by the former Liverpool full-back, who whipped in a perfect cross for Garcia to head past Di Gregorio.

Igor Tudor’s side looked to respond immediately. Francisco Conceicao drew a smart save from Courtois with a long-range effort, before substitute Nico Gonzalez went close to equalising with a strike from the edge of the box just moments after coming on.

Xabi Alonso’s team controlled the final stages, helped by the introduction of Luka Modric and Kylian Mbappe. On 81 minutes, Khephren Thuram made a crucial block to stop the former PSG forward latching onto a Vinicius Junior cross. The Bianconeri fought until the end, but the final touch proved elusive.

A PROUD SHOWING

It ended 1–0 to Real Madrid, who now advance to the quarter-finals where they will face the winner of the tie between Borussia Dortmund and Monterrey. For Juventus, there is a feeling of disappointment after exiting the competition, but also the clear sense of doing so with heads held high.

Gallery | Real Madrid - Juventus | FIFA Club World Cup 2025

Match summary | Real Madrid 1–0 Juventus

Goal: 54’ Gonzalo Garcia (R)

Real Madrid: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Fran Garcia; Valverde (90’ Ceballos), Tchouameni, Bellingham; Arda Guler (77’ Modric), Gonzalo Garcia (68’ Mbappe), Vinicius. Coach: Xabi Alonso.

Juventus: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Rugani (85’ Gatti), Kelly (59’ Kostic); Alberto Costa, Locatelli (85’ McKennie), Thuram, Cambiaso; Conceicao (59’ Nico Gonzalez), Yildiz (71’ Koopmeiners); Kolo Muani. Coach: Tudor.

Referee: Marciniak Bookings: Conceicao (J), Bellingham (R)