Vinicius Junior Stars for Real Madrid: Takeaways From Club World Cup Victory vs. Salzburg | OneFootball

Vinícius Júnior led Real Madrid to a 3–0 victory over RB Salzburg at Lincoln Financial Field, helping his side secure a place in the FIFA Club World Cup knockout stage.

After concerns over a potential weather delay, Real Madrid and Salzburg clashed in the final group stage fixture of the Club World Cup. With both sides level at four points, the winner of the match was guaranteed the top spot in Group H.

Although it took Real Madrid 40 minutes to find the back of the net, a goal felt inevitable after a dominant first half from Alonso’s men. Jude Bellingham picked Vinícius Júnior out with a brilliant ball from his own half, allowing the Brazilian to burst into the box and bag the game’s opening goal with his left foot.

Vinícius Júnior then created Fede Valverde’s goal just eight minutes later with a sublime backheel assist, giving Los Blancos a commanding 2–0 lead. Gonzalo García capped off the night with a great finish on the counter attack, giving Real Madrid plenty to celebrate on a rainy night in Philadelphia.

Here’s three takeaways from Real Madrid’s victory over Salzburg.

Vinicius Junior Finally Delivers a Performance to Remember

Vinícius Júnior played his best match under Xabi Alonso. / Lee Smith-Reuters via Imagn Images

Vinícius Júnior has come under fire lately for his lack of production up top. The Brazilian had failed to record a goal or an assist in the United States heading into the match against Salzburg, and had found the back of the net just twice in his last 16 appearances for Real Madrid.

Finally, though, the winger delivered. In just 67 minutes on the pitch, Vinícius Júnior was involved in two of Real Madrid’s three goals on the night. He also created the most chances and completed the most dribbles in the match.

For the first time in a long time, Vinícius Júnior looked back to his Ballon d’Or-worthy form from the 2023–24 season. From his runs into the box to his lethal finishing to his vision in the final third, the 24-year-old looked downright dangerous again, which is a scary sight for Real Madrid’s opponents moving forward.

The Brazilian still has work to do on his defensive game, though. Both Gonzalo and Fran García had to track back for Vinícius Júnior on multiple occasions. His effort without the ball did not hurt Real Madrid against Salzburg, but it will become a larger problem when Los Blancos face more threatening teams in the knockout stage.

Real Madrid Show First Real Look at a Back Three

Xabi Alonso appears to be bringing his favored back three to Real Madrid. / Lee Smith-Reuters via Imagn Images

With the return of Antonio Rüdiger, Alonso jumped at the opportunity to finally deploy a back three from the opening whistle. Real Madrid had experimented with the manager’s favored formation in their two previous fixtures, but only at brief intervals.

Now, Dean Huijsen, Rüdiger and makeshift defender Aurélien Tchouaméni formed Real Madrid’s backline with an unexpected confidence, given the new system and new personnel. Los Blancos kept a clean sheet for the first time this summer and limited Salzburg to just three shots on target over the course of the entire match.

The solid base at the back allowed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran García to push forward and get more involved in the attack. García, especially, did well to link up with Vinícius Júnior while also bringing more defensive stability to the left-hand side of the pitch when the winger failed to track back.

The formation also allowed Huijsen the freedom to carry the ball forward and pick out passes to kickstart Real Madrid’s attack from deep in their own half.

Once Éder Militão and David Alaba recover from their respective injuries, Real Madrid’s back three would only get stronger should Alonso opt to stick with it. Replacing Tchouaméni with either center back would give Los Blancos an added layer of protection in front of Thibaut Courtois and allow the Frenchman to finally return to the midfield.

Xabi Alonso Overlooks Rodrygo Again

Rodrygo's future at Real Madrid remains uncertain. / IMAGO/PhotoCero5

The noise surrounding Rodrygo is only getting louder with each passing Club World Cup match. The Brazilian got the nod in Real Madrid’s opener, but was relegated to the bench in the team’s next two group stage matches.

Rodrygo played zero minutes against Pachuca, not even leaving the bench at Bank of America Stadium to warm-up. Alonso revealed it was a “technical” decision and then went on to leave the winger out of his XI in Philadelphia.

Rodrygo eventually came on in the second half against Salzburg, but failed to have much of an impact in his 23 minutes on the pitch. The 24-year-old managed just one shot and only completed 11 passes.

As transfer speculation continues to mount, Rodrygo’s future remains as uncertain as ever. If he cannot even break into Alonso’s lineup before new singing Franco Mastantuono arrives in August, then he just might have more individual success playing elsewhere.

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