Gonzalo García sends Real Madrid into the quarters | OneFootball

Real Madrid booked their spot in the Club World Cup quarterfinals with a hard-fought 1–0 win over Juventus on Tuesday evening.

Juventus made a bright start, with Kenan Yildiz causing problems early on. He set up a golden chance for Randal Kolo Muani in the seventh minute, but the Frenchman chipped just over the bar. Madrid took some time to settle but gradually took control, especially through Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni in midfield.

As the half wore on, the Spanish side started creating more danger. Valverde nearly opened the scoring just before the break with a powerful shot that was brilliantly saved by Michele Di Gregorio, who was outstanding throughout the match. The sides went into half-time level, but momentum was shifting in Madrid's favour.

The breakthrough came in the 54th minute. Trent Alexander-Arnold swung in a perfect cross and Gonzalo García rose well to head past Di Gregorio. It was his third goal of the tournament and capped off a solid display by the youngster.

Los Blancos pushed to extend their lead, with Arda Güler, Dean Huijsen, and Tchouaméni all forcing fine saves from Di Gregorio. Kylian Mbappé came on in the 68th minute to make his competition debut, drawing huge applause, though he had little time to make a major impact.

Igor Tudor's side struggled to mount any serious response. A few hopeful efforts from Nicolás González and Francisco Conceição never really troubled Thibaut Courtois. Despite a handful of substitutions from Allegri, the Italian side couldn’t find a way back.

Juventus bow out of the competition, while Real Madrid march on to the quarterfinals with confidence and will play eith Borussia Dortmund or Monterrey in the quarter-finals.