Vinícius Júnior scores and assists in Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Salzburg to advance in CWC

By Canadian Press on June 26, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Vinícius Júnior scored a goal and assisted on another in Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Salzburg on Thursday night that secured the Spanish powerhouse first place in the Club World Cup’s Group H and a spot in the round of 16.

Vinícius gave the 64,811 soaking wet fans at Lincoln Financial Field something to cheer for by scoring on a left-footed shot right outside the penalty box in the 40th minute. Jude Bellingham left Vinícius in position to score with a breakaway pass that took advantage of the wet field conditions caused by the rain.

Eight minutes later, a deflected pass by Mamady Diambou left Vinícius one-on-one against Joane Gadou inside Salzburg’s penalty box. Having no angle to shoot, Vinícius delivered a backheel pass to Federico Valverde that left the Uruguayan wide open to score from 10 yards out.

Antonio Rüdiger suffered an apparent hamstring injury in the 60th minute after completing a long sprint down the right wing. He continued playing, but was subbed out six minutes later. His availability will be one to watch for Real Madrid’s upcoming game as they are thin at the center back position due to multiple injuries and a suspension to Raúl Asencio.

Gonzalo García put the game to bed in the 84th minute with a chip shot after a counterattack he initiated by stealing the ball from Gadou in midfield.

With the win, Real Madrid became the ninth European team to advance to the round of 16. From the 12 European teams in the tournament, only Atlético Madrid, Porto, and Salzburg were eliminated in the group stage.

Key moment

Vinícius’ backheel pass to set up Valverde inside the penalty box to score Madrid’s second goal.

Takeaways

Real Madrid finished atop Group H with seven points. Madrid will face Juventus, a 5-2 loser to Manchester City on Tuesday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Salzburg finished third in Group H with four points. They were eliminated as Al Hilal finished with five points, one more than the Austrian team, after defeating Pachuca on Thursday night.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Mario Rodriguez Canuto, The Associated Press